Of Fates Unknown
by Lady Banshee 999
Summary: AU Kagome and her brother, the last of the Ceadda race, return to where their people came, Rhea. A land and her people’s history, including sorcerery, she knew next to nothing about. Lord Inuyasha has sworn an oath to become ruler of Rhea.(full sum inside
1. Default Chapter

_**Disclaimer I don't own much. Of course this means Inuyasha and his crew.**_

_**Description: (AU) **Kagome and her brother, the last of the Ceadda race, after their village is ravaged, return to where their people came from. A land and her people's history, including sorcerery, she knew next to nothing about. Lord Inuyasha is bound to become ruler of Rhea, his only threat is the warning given to him about the Ceadda and their magic. That they would one day return to try to reclaim the lost crown. Will Kagome ever learn the truth behind why her people were overthrown? Will Lord Inuyasha use the legends to help him in his own goals or will he due away with the possible threat before it becomes one._

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**Of Fates Unknown**

_**Prologue**_

The obelisk dominated the tower room, where the conical roof rose to accommodate its twenty-foot height. It was slender, only about six feet in circumference at its base, and tapering slightly to the apex where a smooth round stone no larger then a pearl was surrounded in a crystal type substance. The color of the obelisk and stone was a somewhat unpleasant bluish-white. An unnatural color if the truth were told. But then it was no stranger then the intricate writings that were just barely visible as faint bluish-gray lines that seem to coil into its mysterious depths.

No one else now living knew of the things existence, let alone its history and purpose. Long ago the tower room had been securely bolted - so long ago that everyone else had long since ceased to think about the tower. It was generally accepted that there where structural problems that had rendered the tower unsafe.

Inuyasha had learned of the existence of the obelisk when he was declared heir to Domna many years ago. His older half-brother having taken the right to rule the lands of his mother's kingdom, in Vali, when no males of royal blood where left.

Twenty years ago, he thought, momentarily startled at the passage of so much time. For twenty years, he had been stealing up here to stare at the obelisk, drawn to it at irregular intervals for reasons he no longer questioned. Twenty years that may have seemed so long ago but only a blink of an eye for those with youkai blood. Even if that blood is only half.

Inuyasha was an educated hanyou, not inclined to superstitions like so many of his people. He only believed in that which he could see with his own eyes. So although the obelisk fascinated him and the tales about those who had once occupied the great keep intrigued him, he also retained a healthy skepticism.

Nothing had ever been written about the Ceaddas and their obelisk. Rather, the tales had been passed down through the generations. He knew that there was much room for distortion and exaggeration- and yet, each time he came here, he found himself hovering along the very edges of belief. There was power in this room- even now, with the obelisk in its quiescent state, the only way he'd ever seen it.

The tales told to him by bards of both human and youkai alike were of a sect long since vanished into the mists of legend, their lives snuffed out by his father, a great Inuyoukai by the name of Inutashio. But the story told to him by his father was slightly different. It was possible that some of the Ceadda had escaped Inutashio's army and fled to distant lands more than a hundred year ago.

"If it's true," his father had said, his gaze fixed thoughtfully on the obelisk, "they will return someday. This is _their_ place- and you must remember that."

But the origins and powers of that strange sect, his father had known nothing more than the stories that circulated among the people. They were Rheas just as all of those who where of the mortal world where, but at some point in the dim recesses of history, they had formed a separate sect and had come to control all of the sprawling lands of the Rheas, from the sea to the mountains of Domna.

It was said that their powers where awesome. They could call forth the rains to aid the crops, then stave off frosts until the harvest was completed. They could channel their powers to cure the sick and the lame. And it was also said that they could use their powers to confuse and defeat their enemies.

Naturally, it was this last talent that most interested Inuyasha, especially growing up as a hanyou. Normally looked down upon by full youkai he had to learn to harness his own power to defend not only his land but his title as well. Later in his life he learned the secret tales told within his family had it that the Ceadda had overreached their great powers, venturing too far from Domna in an effort to punish Inutashio and his insurgents who had retreated into the distant mountains at the border of Rhea's lands.

Inuyasha turned his back on the obelisk for a moment and walked over to the tall, narrow slits in the stonewall of the tower. From here he had a bird's-eye view of his lands: the sprawling city of Domna, the fertile fields and small villages and lower hills where gold, the great wealth of Domna, was mined.

It should have been enough. It _had_ been enough for his father. But it would never be enough for Inuyasha. From the day his father had brought him here and spoken of the long vanished Ceadda, Inuyasha had believed that _he_ would one day accomplish what his father had ever managed: he would rule all of the vast land of the Rheas. He had laid his hands on the cold obelisk and vowed that, with or without the powers that lay locked inside it, he would prevail.

Since the defeat of the Ceadda, the land of the Rheas had never been peaceful place. With each new rise of feudal lords, the battles raged anew. Alliances shifted as each heir sought to attain the power that Inuyasha sought, but none had ever managed to become king. Even Inutashio, who claimed the title, had in the end, held only the most tenuous control over the other feudal lords.

Domna was both the largest and the wealthiest of the Rhea lands, but even so, the lord of Domna was denied the ultimate power. Always the others set aside their won feuds to band together against Domna, keeping the land of the Rheas in a more or less permanent state of war.

On that day twenty years ago when he'd sworn that _he_ would become King of the Rheas, Inuyasha had vowed as well that he would pass on to his own son what had never bequeathed to him. And for that reason, he never mated.

At fourteen, when girls had seemed no more then a minor nuisance, the vow had been easy enough. And later, when his position and his good looks, even for a hanyou, had combined to guarantee a steady supply of willing females, he'd still found it easy to hold to that vow. But now in the prime of his life his youkai and human parts where beginning to feel the very strongly the need to produce an heir. His inuyoukai was demanding a mate but refused to do so with any female he had meet so far. Besides, the law was made quite clear. Only an heir legitimized through marriage could succeed him. Hence the reason why his older half-brother was not made the heir. He didn't wish that on any his offspring, which was the main reason why he had yet to take one into his bed.

In the fields beyond the city, the harvest would soon begin. An uneasy peace reigned at the moment, since all combatants had temporarily exhausted themselves and winter was approaching. But when spring came again, the battles would resume- and this time, Inuyasha thought, he _must_ be successful.

He turned back to the obelisk and felt again a growl of frustration knowing that it might well hold the key to his success but would not yield up its power to him.

**)O( **

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Names of cities, races, and some other aspects that I chose will be listed here with an explaination of the terms. Most of the terms actually are god and goddesses names. 

**Domna** Irish Goddess of scared stones _(it just seemed soooo appropriate a name for a city that Inuyasha ruled. It was either this or a forest god. But since this was also close to sounding like Dogman. I just couldn't resist.)_

**Rhea** Mother earth _(um… yeah, sort of self explaining here.)_

**Vali** Hindu Destroyer Goddess _(territory Sesshy controls, also seemed appropriate. Was a tie for either this or Ares, but Vali won.)_

**Ceadda** God of healing springs and sacred wells _(seeing as this is who Kagome is a descendant of … once again it just seemed soooo appropriate.)_

**)O( **

_This story is complete, I am just in the process of typing it up. I will try to shoot for at least one chapter a day. (time permitting) The only thing I don't have is a beta tester for this thing. It will be a monster of a story, since I have already typed up well over 25,000 words and it isn't even half way done. So be in for a long haul. I may end up posting more then one chapter a day, depending on how quickly I can type this out._

_Brightest of Blessings,_

_Lady Banshee 999_


	2. Chapter One

_**Disclaimer I don't own much. Of course this means Inuyasha and his crew.**_

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**Of Fates Unknown**

_**Chapter One**_

"Souta? Where are you?" Kagome's dark eyes searched the thick forest uneasily. She was always slightly nervous when they were so far from the village.

Then, just as she was about to call out again, her brother's grinning face appeared around the edge of a thick truck.

"Gome, come quick! I've found some- a lot of them!"

She picked up her basket and hurried after him, hoping he was right this time and they could gather the precious herbs and get back to the village.

Souta pointed exultantly to the large clump of purplish-gray plants that grew in the damp shade. "See? I'm right this time, aren't I?"

Kagome smiled at him. "You are right, and it's the largest bunch we've found yet. There should be more than enough here for Mother."

They knelt on the ground as she reminded without crushing them. Crushing them meant a loss of the precious juices contained within them, juices their mother would bring out by cooking them slowly and carefully, then boiling off the water until only a slightly oily essence remained. In that form, it became a healing potion for many ailments, a potion depended upon by the entire village- especially as winter began to sap everyone's strength.

Their mother was the village healer, a figure of great prominence among them, revered for her skills as her mother had been before her, and as Kagome herself would be one day, after her apprenticeship.

Happy with their find, Kagome forgot about her fears and even stopped to pluck some tasty mushrooms and berries as well. Then they began the long trek back through the forest-bright, with the only hint of fall being the reddening leaves of the wild blackberry and blueberry bushes.

Now that they were on their way back to the village, Kagome uneasiness about being so far from safety melted away. In fact, she was even disposed to think kindly of Hojo - which was certainly a change for her.

At eighteen, Kagome was the only unmarried woman of her age among their people. She had loved once, and when he had been taken from her nearly three years ago, she had been certain that she would never love again.

But now there was Hojo, seven years her senior and a widower with an infant daughter whose mother had died shortly after giving birth. He wasn't exactly a young girl's dream of perfect love, but he _was_ kind- and in any event, she was no longer a young girl.

Yes, she thought as they walked along, it is time I accept his proposal and put away my foolish, romantic thoughts. He is good and kind and his baby daughter needs a new mother.

Besides, she should be producing babes of her own. As the elders said constantly, they were so few in numbers and only in numbers could they have the strength to guarantee their safety in this hostile land. Beyond the steep hills of their valley lived the Vali, who could, at any time, decide to overrun them. Only their isolation and the lack of riches in their adopted homeland had protected them this far from everything but occasional forays by roving bands of Vali.

Ahead of them, Kagome could see the end of the forest, where the steep narrow path lead down into the valley through rocky outcroppings that concealed many deep caverns.

She hated this part of the journey, because the caverns always reminded her of the precariousness of their life here. From the time the caves had been discovered, not long after their arrival in this place more then a hundred years ago, her people had kept them stocked with the necessities as a refuge to which they could retreat if the Vali decided to attack.

She was lost in thought as they neared the edge of the woods and the beginnings of the long, steep slope into the valley. Souta was a short distance ahead. Suddenly, he stopped and cried out.

"Gome, what is it?" She ran toward him then stumbled to a stop as she too saw what he had already seen.

For one brief moment, Kagome simply denied what her eyes saw before them. Such a horror could not be – but it _was_!

"Vali!" Souta said in a hoarse, hushed whisper that drew Kagome to him quickly.

From this spot, the entire village was visible far below them- or as visible as it could be beneath a spreading pall of thick, black smoke. Faint noises rose up to them: sharp, cracking sounds that Kagome benumbed brain was slow to identify. Gunfire! She'd never seen a gun because her people had none, but they all knew that the Vali possessed them. A gun had killed her beloved three years ago, at the time of the last major attack by the Vali.

Despite the horror below them now, Kagome's mind went back to that day. There was one narrow pass that led into the valley and it was guarded day and night by her people. On that bright, sunlit spring morning, she had walked out to meet Tarren, who had been on guard duty through the night. She was almost there when she heard the strange sounds- the same terrible noises she heard now in the village. Obviously, this time, the Vali had come in sufficient force to make it through the pass.

She stood there, transfixed by horror, her hands still gripping her brother's shoulder. Figures could be seen scurrying about, but they were too far away and too obscure by the smoke for her to know if they were her own people or the Vali.

"Gome," her brother asked in a voice thinned by terror, "are they killing everyone?"

She didn't answer for a moment- but not because she didn't know. His question forced her to face what was happening to her people. In all likelihood, everyone would be in the village now, since it was almost dinnertime.

Images rushed through her mind: her mother, her friends and their families, friends of a lifetime. It was a small village and they all knew each other well. She couldn't assimilate it yet- and she knew that she had, in any event, to think about Souta and herself.

"I don't know," she finally said to her brother as she forced herself to consider their situation.

Even seeing what was happening down there and knowing that she could do nothing to prevent it, Kagome had a very powerful urge to run down there and confront their enemy. For one brief moment, she had the strange feeling that she _could_ do something. But she set aside that irrational thought quickly.

They had been taught as children to hurry immediately to the caves, to save themselves. They were the last of their people and had a sacred obligation to guarantee the survival of at least some of them.

"The caves," she said to Souta, releasing his shoulder and grabbing his hand instead. "We must go to the caves."

He followed her, because he too had been so instructed, but she could hear his sobs as they scrambled along the path, taking car to keep hidden among the boulders, at then, Souta was certainly old enough to understand what was happening in the village, but with the optimism of youth, he probably believed that the village would somehow survive the attack.

They found the first of the caves. Its entrance, between two rocky pillars, was well concealed and so narrow that only a child or small, slim adult like her could pass though. It was therefore a good choice for them. Even if the Vali came up here, they'd be unlikely to find it, and they'd never fit though the opening.

There where a dozen such caves, all of them deep and hidden, and children were taught to find them almost as soon as they could walk. Although she had not been in this particular one for years, Kagome remembered it. It was the deepest of them all and even had a small stream running through it that would provide fresh water. There would also be food and other supplies, but Kagome had no desire to check them now. Instead, she collapsed onto the cool stone floor and drew a sobbing Souta close, trying her best to console him even as her mind continued to conjure up images of the horror in the valley below.

Gradually, the light from the narrow opening dimmed, and once, she even thought she smelled the smoke. She stared fixedly at the entrance, hoping against hope that others would appear to seek refuge here- even daring to hope that it might be her mother or even Hojo.

Then she recalled seeing Hojo and the other men assigned to guard duty that day leaving the village early this morning to relieve the night guards. Although she still dared to hope that the others had survived, she knew that he must be dead, and her mind clung to that last sight of him, smiling and waving to her as he hurried off to the pass.

Then, in the last light of the day, she finally got up and crept to the entrance, after telling Souta firmly to stay where he was and to run quickly into the depths of the cavern if he heard anyone approaching. At ten, he often challenged her authority- but he didn't do so now, and even that served to reinforce the horror of the situation.

There was still some light in the sky, but the valley lay in darkness- a darkness broken by the glow of what seemed to be hundreds of fires. She stood there staring at the flames, trying to guess how many homes were burning and denying what her mind was telling her. They were all burning- even the large food storage buildings at the edge of the village, buildings that were just in the process of being filled with the harvest.

There were no more sounds from below. It was too far for her to hear the cracklings of the fires, although a faint trace of smoke drifted through the cool night air to reach her. Had the Vali gone? She could see no movements down there.

Would the have killed even the old people and the children? How could human beings be so cruel? Was it somehow the destiny of her people to be always hated, always killed?

She heard Souta calling her softly and turned to see that he had come to the entrance and was staring down at the scene, his eyes huge.

"Are they dead, Gome? Is Mother dead- and Roge and everybody?"

She wanted to shield him from the truth a little longer, especially when he asked about his best friend Roge, but instead she nodded. "Yes, I think they must all be dead."

**)O( **

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_Well, let me know what you think. There was no new names and such that had meaning. I just couldn't resist throwing Hojo in there. It was actually a toss up between Kouga and Hojo, but Hojo won out._


	3. Chapter Two

_**Disclaimer I don't own much. Of course this means Inuyasha and his crew.**_

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**Of Fates Unknown **

**_Chapter Two_**

After a largely sleepless night during which she ventured many times to the mouth of the cave, Kagome roused Souta just after dawn, grateful that he had been able to sleep. Together, they went to the cave's entrance, then ventured out and stood there silently for a long time, their hands clasped.

The village lay in charred rubble. A few thin wisps of smoke still rose into the clear morning air. Nothing moved. Even the pens that had held the village's small herds of cattle and sheep were empty. The stables too were burned and the were no sign of their few horses.

"It's all gone." Souta said at last in a voice that belonged to a much younger child.

Kagome nodded, thinking of his use of the word "it" instead of "they" and wondering if that meant he hadn't yet accepted that not only was the village gone, but all the people as well.

She moved farther from the mouth of the cave and scanned the rocky hillside, seeking out the entrances of the other caves. She'd been telling herself all through the long night that others might have survived as well by hiding in the caves.

But now, as she stared at the empty landscape, she knew that could not have been the case. If anyone else had survived, they would be out here now as she was, or on the path down to the ruined village.

Still, she was reluctant to relinquish that last, faint hope. She turned to her brother, "Souta, I want you to stay here while I go to check the other caves."

"No!" He said, tightening his grip on her hand. "I want to stay with you, Gome- please!"

She gently withdrew the hand that he was clutching painfully and hugged him instead. She understood. He might not have fully accepted that all the others were dead, but he still felt an instinctive need to stay close to her now.

So they began their slow descent, pausing at each cave to check for other survivors. When they had searched the last cave in vain, Kagome once again tried to persuade him to say there while she went on to the village. But once again, he refused, clinging to her desperately. She put her hands on his shoulders and stared hard at him.

"Souta, do you understand what we may find there?"

Tears spilled out onto his cheeks as he nodded slowly. "Dead people- like Pappa."

"Not exactly like Pappa, he dead peacefully because he was sick. This will be much worse."

"I want to stay with you."

So they made their way, hand in hand, into the village. Some fires were still smoldering and traces of smoke wafted about in the morning breeze. A heavy, ugly stench hung over the village. It seemed so wrong that the sun should have arisen on a beautiful day when nothing but horror lay all around them.

For several dazed hours, they wandered around the only home they'd ever known. More than three hundred had lived here- and now there were none. The first of the bloody bodies they encountered left them both sick, but after a time, their benumbed brains simply refused to react. One or the other of them would from time to time call out a name as they recognized a body, but their voices were hollow and lifeless.

Of her own family, Kagome found not a trace. Most of the people, it seemed, had been burned to death inside their homes, probably kept there by gun-wielding Vali. The snug little cottage that had been her home all her life was reduced to heaps of charred rubble. They saw not one recognizable thing as they stared at it.

With the midday sun beating down on them, they trudged slowly back up the path to the caves. By the time they reached the one that had sheltered them the night before, they were both exhausted and fell asleep on the piles of blankets they'd found among the supplies.

The sun was setting by the time they awoke to relive the horror anew. They held each other and cried, as they had not done earlier, and then, driven by hunger, they dug into the food stores and ate without pleasure, but with very great need. After that, they left the cave and sat on the rocks to watch as twilight crept across the land, mercifully obscuring the devastation below.

"What will we do?" Souta asked after a long silence. "Where will we go?"

And Kagome gave the answer that was only then forming in her mind. "We will go home."

Souta nodded silently. He knew what she meant. This valley was not their home. Their true home lay many miles away to the east, across hills and across the sea and deep into other hills: the land of the Rheas, home to her people, the Ceadda.

**)O( **

Just after dawn the next day, Kagome and Souta left the village. They did not look back. Kagome told her brother that they must remember what had been, not what was now. Unable to risk building funeral pyres, as was the custom of her people, Kagome had knelt in front of the caves, with Souta at her side, and said the words of remembrance for all, and then the special words for her family.

Then they gathered the supplies and went deep into the cave that had sheltered them. There was a rear opening to a steep, precipitous path that would carry them out of the valley. She chose this much more difficult way because she feared that the Vali might still be in the pass- or near it.

Their descent was long and difficult. The path itself was steep and tortuous and their way was made even harder by the heavy burdens they both carried. They had brought along as much food as they could carry, a change of clothing for each of them- and the gold that had been stored in the cave long ago for just such an eventuality, gold that her people had brought with them when they fled the land of the Rheas.

Souta also carried his favorite toy, a small wooden puzzle made for him by his father. Kagome had her precious lythra, the instrument that had been passed down to her by her grandmother, since her mother had had not musical talents. Both these items had been with them they had gone to gather herbs, since it was their custom to carry them wherever they went.

The final item they carried was almost as precious as the gold: a carefully drawn map; made by one of the few who had escaped the slaughter of their people in the land of the Rheas over a hundred years ago. It was drawn on oiled skin and had been stored in the cave in a leather cylinder, and it showed the route the fleeing Ceadda had taken from their ancestral home to the valley. Kagome had studied it carefully and knew that they must travel due east until they reached the port city of Aegir.

She also knew that this first part of their long journey must be the most dangerous. IF they encountered any Vali, they would surely be captured, and most probable would be killed on the spot. Not only did they not speak the Vali's tongue, but their very appearances would give them away. The Vali were a fair-haired, light-skinned people, while Kagome and Souta were black haired and olive-skinned.

She took it as a sign of good fortune that the weather had turned much cooler, thereby allowing them to wear cloaks with hoods that could disguise them to some extent. But she knew that they could never survive close scrutiny by their enemy.

She hoped that they would be safe enough in the port of Aegir. The stories she'd heard indicated that it was a crossroads for many different peoples, although it was a Vali city. There she intended to use some of her gold to purchase their passage across the sea to the land of the Rheas.

Throughout the long day's journey, Kagome did not allow herself to think about what might happen when the finally reached their ancient homeland. But when night came and they made came, she sat awake long after Souta had fallen asleep and thought about their distant home.

According to the old stories, the Rheas had always been a warlike people, and they had always coveted the home of the Ceadda- a thriving walled city called Domna. After many years and many battles, their enemies had finally conquered them and captured Domna. Then they had killed all the Ceadda: women, children, and old people as well, showing no mercy- just as the Vali had done. But a small band of Ceadda had managed to escape and had fled across the sea to the isolated valley where Kagome had been born.

What little Kagome knew about her people's history had come mostly from her grandfather's stories. In the village school, their teachers had given the matter short shrift. They were here now and the past was of no importance because they could not return to in.

But her grandfather had talked once of Ceadda magic, although when she had pressed him with questions, he had uncharacteristically become quiet, shaking his gray head back and forth and muttering that "all that was past". And later, when Kagome had asked her mother what he'd meant by Ceadda magic, her mother had shrugged it off as the nonsensical ravings of an old man, even though her grandfather had seemed quite lucid to her.

She didn't believe in magic, since she'd never seen it. But when he'd spoken of it that one time, she'd felt something strange inside her- a sort of yearning. And she felt it again now, as she sat in the darkness with Souta snoring softly at her side. It was a yearning for a completeness, a wholeness- a sense that she was as yet somehow incomplete.

She dismissed those thoughts with a shake of her dark head. It was natural enough for her to be feeling that now, when she'd lost everything but Souta. Not a moment passed when she didn't think about the fact that the two of them were now the last of their people.

What would they find when they reached the land of the Rheas? Would they be able to fit in without drawing the attention to themselves? Surely the could; they were Rheas themselves, after all, and they spoke the same tongue. But what did it mean that she was also Ceadda? It was a question she'd asked many times as a child, but she'd never received a satisfactory answer.

"We're Rheas," her mother and her teacher had told her.

"But then why do we call ourselves Ceadda?" Kagome had persisted.

"Because we do," was the frustrating answer, generally followed by an exhortation to get back to her studies.

Years had passed since Kagome had given them any thought to that question. Not one else had ever seemed to care. But then, she thought sadly, no one else had ever faced what we face now. How she wished she knew more about what it meant to be not just Rhea but also Ceadda.

Souta began to cry softly in his sleep and she lay down beside him and drew him into her arms to comfort him, even as silent tears coursed down her own cheeks. Whatever it meant to be Ceadda, she and Souta were now the only ones left.

**)O( **

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**Domna** Irish Goddess of scared stones _(it just seemed soooo appropriate a name for a city that Inuyasha ruled. It was either this or a forest god. But since this was also close to sounding like Dogman. I just couldn't resist.)_

**Rhea** Mother earth _(um… yeah, sort of self explaining here.)_

**Vali** Hindu Destroyer Goddess _(territory Sesshy controls, also seemed appropriate. Was a tie for either this or Ares, but Vali won.)_

**Ceadda** God of healing springs and sacred wells _(seeing as this is who Kagome is a descendant of … once again it just seemed soooo appropriate.)_

**Aegir** Teutonic God of the Sea _(Again, self explaining for a sea port.)_

_Well, another chapter posted. Please be sure to let me know what you think of the story so far.:) Reviews are always wonderful._

_Brightest of Blessings,_

_Lady Banshee 999_


	4. Chapter Three

_**Disclaimer I don't own much. Of course this means Inuyasha and his crew.**_

* * *

**Of Fates Unknown **

**_Chapter Three_**

Into the third day of their journey they came across a sound of soft tears in a bush they were walking by. Kagome and Souta stopped to look into the bush and what they saw surprised them. A young little child with reddish hair was curled up his face hidden by a tail that wrapped around his body. The two looked at each other and Kagome decided to make their presence known.

In a soft voice she spoke to him, "Hey there, are you alright?"

The boy jumped at the voice and looked at them. Tears were still evident in his wide frightened eyes as he scurried back. They could see that the small boy was very small, the size of a very large cat, and had the legs of a fox.

"Hey now, we will not hurt you. We heard you crying and wanted to see if there is anything we can do to help."

The boy scrubbed his face off with his sleeve and shook his head. "My father and mother were attacked and told me to run yesterday. I don't think they survived or else they would have tracked me down by now. I don't know what to do."

Souta looked at Kagome with pleading eyes. They both understood what the feeling is like to loose family and he wanted to help. Kagome nodded in understanding as she looked back at the young child.

Souta smiled and said, "My name is Souta, and this is my sister Kagome. We too just lost our village. You are more then welcome to join us on our journey if you want."

"My name is Shippou," the child replied, coming out of the bush. "Where are you going?"

Kagome knelt down signaling the other two boys to do the same. "We are on our way to our homeland in Rhea. It is across the sea and was the only place we could think of going."

Shippou scratched his head and looked around then sighed. Looking up at Kagome his eyes started to water again as he nodded. "Yeah, I would like that. I don't want to be alone."

Smiling Kagome held out her hands to the young child and he jumped into her arms snuggling up to her as she hugged him. "We understand the feeling quite well." Standing up she nodded, "Let us go then. There is still plenty of daylight and we might as well make the most of it."

While they walked they learned that Shippou was a young fox youkai, and that his family had lived in the grasslands for some time in peace after coming from Rhea, but lately much unrest had visited the area as the Vali had looked to expand their territory. They decided to rid themselves of anything they though was a threat, and therefore considered his family as one. Kagome and Souta glanced at each other over this piece of news but said nothing.

Souta and Shippou got along very well as often times small boys tend to do. But when they were walking due to his small legs he often times hitched a ride on the shoulder of either Souta or Kagome.

**)O(**

The journey to Aegir took ten days, and for most of that time, they were forced to forage for food. They ate wild fruits and berries for the most part, although from time to time, Kagome was able to catch a small fish or two with her bare hands and then prepare them with the knife she had taken from among the supplies in the cave.

Several times, they passed close to villages where she could have purchased food, but she would not risk any contact with the Vali, especially in this region where they might know of her people. It was possible- even like- that those who had murdered her people came from some of these villages.

Aegir came as a shock to them, even though Kagome known that it was much bigger than their village. But its size, while daunting, was also providential. In its twisted, narrow streets, she found people of many races, speaking a variety of tongues.

Souta was wide-eyed trying to look at everything at once, but where able to keep most of his curiosity in check in light of the fact that they were suppose to keep people from suspicious. Shippou on the other hand was hidden in Kagome's arm under her cloak. His youkai features would have drawn to much attention to the group.

They walked along, listening for any who might speak the language of the Rheas, even though that land was far away across the sea. Kagome was initially terrified of the many glances cast her way- particularly from the men- but after a time, she began to realize that they were looking upon her with desire, and not with suspicion. She knew that she was considered by her own people to be beautiful, but Ceadda men did not behave this way- at least not in her small village where everyone had known everyone else from birth.

The size of many of the buildings was intimidating, but after studying them carefully, she figured out which one were inns, then spent more time studying them. Finally, she settled on a smaller inn, choosing it because the proprietor was a dark man with a kindly face. Hoping that he might be Rhea himself, she approached him and asked for a room.

The man studied her and Souta carefully as Kagome stood there trying not to let her fear or Shippou show. It was the first time in her life that she's ever spoken to a stranger, since there were no strangers in her small village.

Then the man repeated the word for "room" in her language and said "Rhea" questioningly. Kagome nodded and smiled, even as a frightening though occurred to her. She had never considered the possibility that her people, who she knew to be warlike, might be enemies of the Vali. The elders had always said that the Vali who periodically attempted to raid their village were doing so only because of their belief that her people had wealth- but what if they'd been wrong?

She drew two gold coins from her purse and handed them to the man. He took them and studied them, and then, to her surprise, placed one between his teeth and bit into it. When he the look on her face, he spoke rapidly in his own tongue, and then, to her very great relief, smiled at them and returned one to her.

Then he led them up the stairs, Kagome had never seen a house with stairs before. In fact the only stairs she's ever seen were narrow ones that lead to the hayloft in the stables. Souta ran excitedly ahead of them, and Kagome thought about the wonderful resilience of children. He might be crying himself to sleep at night, but he could still laugh and play.

In a halting conversation with the innkeeper, she discovered that while he was not Rhea, he had on occasion encountered them and so spoke a little of their language. She managed to make him understand that she wished to purchase passage on a ship bound for that land, and he told her that he would make inquiries for her.

The next morning, feeling much refreshed by a bath and good, solid food, Kagome sought out the innkeeper again. He told her that there was a trading ship now taking on supplies in the harbor before crossing to Tiamat, the main port of the Rheas. The captain was not Rhea, but did speak the language, since he traded regularly with them, and he would be pleased to offer them passage. With words and gestures, the innkeeper managed to let her know that he trusted the man to carry them safely to their destination.

After being told that the captain would come to the inn that evening to make the arrangements, Kagome left with Shippou and Souta to explore the town. She wanted to buy them some clothes and also food for the voyage, since she didn't know if that would be provided.

For the first time since they'd left their village, Kagome began to relax. The kindness of the innkeeper had dispelled her fears that they might be facing enemies here. Shippou pointed out a few youkai mingling in the crowd and decided it was safe for Shippou to come out of hiding, if he promised to behave, at least until they got back to the inn. She supposed that in port cities like this, where so many different people and youkai came together, the residents must be far more tolerant, especially when their livelihoods depended upon maintaining that peace.

The only time she felt at all fearful was when they passed a pair of uniformed Vali, carrying strange-looking things that Kagome knew must be guns. Both men stared at her and seemed about to speak, when there were suddenly shouts from a nearby market stall. They turned their attention in that direction, and a moment later grabbed a ragged young man whose pockets had been stuffed with jewelry made of gold and colored beads. She grabbed Souta's hand and they quickly slipped away through the crowd that had gathered.

The marketplace was a garden of delights. They had never seen so much food, cloth, jewelry, and strange items whose purpose they couldn't even begin to guess. And Kagome quickly discovered that bargaining over prices was carried on quite efficiently despite language difficulties. Obviously, the vendors here were accustomed to such things.

She studied the amounts of gold exchanging hands for various items and began to form a sense of how much to pay for the things she wanted. No one had used gold in the village. Food and other basic necessities had been shared among them, and they had simply traded for whatever else they wanted.

Finally, she managed to purchase comfortable, loose-fitting garments for all three of them, as well as bolts of cloth from which she could make more clothes during the voyage. She bought both Souta and Shippou a few new toys and treated herself to a small pot of herbal scent that was lovelier than anything she'd ever smelled before.

She continued to draw interested looks from the men, but since they did nothing more than stare, Kagome ignored them. But then, as they were making their way back to the inn, she became aware of one man in particular. Like her and Souta, he was dark-haired and olive-skinned. As soon as her eyes met his, he hurried through the crowd to her.

"Are you Rhea?" He asked in an accented form of her-own language that was still quite understandable.

"Yes," she replied cautiously. "Are you?"

He was indeed. His name was Morvath, and as it turned out, he was a sailor on the very ship that was to carry them to their destination. He was a few years younger than she was and was very open and friendly. But he was also very curious, both about her accent and about her reason for being here.

Unprepared for such an encounter, Kagome was forced to make up a story on the spot. She told him that she and her brother had accompanied her husband on a trading mission to Aegir, but her husband had been killed by brigands as he left a tavern, and now she was going home to Domna.

"Domna?" The sailor looked puzzled. "I'm surprised that a merchant from Domna would come all this way."

Kagome quickly amended her tale to explain that her husband was from Tiamat, but that she herself was from Domna. And even as she spoke, she began to make small adjustments to her speech, trying to imitate his accent.

He walked with them back to the inn. Kagome deflected any further questions about herself by asking about his travels, a subject he quickly fell into. Then he left them to return to his ship saying that he would see them tomorrow when they sailed.

That evening, Kagome met the captain, a great bear of a man with intelligent, twinkling eyes who quickly took to Souta and Shippou, since he had a son Souta's age. He spoke the Rhea tongue fairly well, and it quickly became obvious that he'd heard about them from Morvath, since he knew she was bound for Domna.

"You should be safe enough traveling up there now," he said. "Lord Inuyasha appears to have given up fighting for the time being. But there's no doubt that he'll start up again in the spring. He won't stop until he gets his way about becoming King of Rheas."

He chuckled and shook his head slowly, "A very proud warrior, that Inuyasha. But then he comes from a very long line of them, doesn't he? It was his own father that drove the Ceadda out of Domna, wasn't it? Or that's what the old stories say."

It was all Kagome could do not to react to his mention of her people. But she merely nodded and agreed with the captain, then retuned to her room, leaving the boys to play with the innkeeper's son.

For the first time, she began to doubt the wisdom of this journey she'd undertaken with so little thought. How she wished she knew more about the history of her people! And as she sat there thinking about what lay ahead, a traitorous thought crept into her mind.

What if her people's history had been deliberately forgotten? Thinking about it now, she couldn't help wondering if the Ceadda who'd fled from Domna might not have made a decision to shed their past. But why would they do that?

She thought too about this Lord Inuyasha. From what the captain said, they would be going to a Domna that was anything but peaceful- and furthermore, was ruled by a man whose own father had murdered her own people.

She hoped that there would be some way she could gain more information during the long voyage from the friendly Morvath. But it wouldn't be easy to do without revealing her-own ignorance. If only she'd had more time to come up with a different story for herself and Souta.

**)O(**

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**Domna** Irish Goddess of scared stones_(it just seemed soooo appropriate a name for a city that Inuyasha ruled. It was either this or a forest god. But since this was also close to sounding like Dogman. I just couldn't resist.)_

**Rhea ** Mother earth _(um… yeah, sort of self explaining here.)_

**Vali** Hindu Destroyer Goddess _(territory Sesshy controls, also seemed appropriate. Was a tie for either this or Ares, but Vali won.)_

**Ceadda** God of healing springs and sacred wells _(seeing as this is who Kagome is a descendant of … once again it just seemed soooo appropriate.)_

**Aegir** Teutonic God of the Sea _(Again, self explaining for this one.)_

**Tiamat** Babylonian Dragon Mother _(... um, I just sort of liked the name.)_

_I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season. Please don't forget to review._

_Brightest of Blessings,_

_Lady Banshee 999_


	5. Chapter Four

_**Disclaimer I don't own much. Of course this means Inuyasha and his crew.**_

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**Of Fates Unknown**

**_Chapter Four_**

"Maybe you're bringing us luck," Morvath grinned as he settled down beside her on the deck, where she was busy sewing a new tunic for Shippou, who was off somewhere with both the captain and Souta.

"What do you mean?" Kagome asked. It was the first opportunity she'd had to exchange more than a few words with him since they'd set sail two days ago.

He gestured to the blue-gray sea and the brighter blue-sky overhead. "The weather. It can be rough at this time of year, but Cap'n says he thinks it'll be an easy crossing."

She smiled. "I doubt that I had anything to do with it- but I am glad for it." The ship that had seemed so huge in port had begun to seem small indeed in the unnerving vastness out here.

"I just thought that being as you're from Domna, you might have a bit of Ceadda blood in you. They're supposed to have been able to make the weather, weren't they?"

"That's what the tales say," she replied in a voice far calmer than her thoughts.

"Do you think the stories about them were true- that they really were sorcerers?" Morvath asked.

Kagome was grateful for the fact that he couldn't see her face at the moment as they sat side by side. Sorcerers? Her people? A chill swept through her as she recalled her grandfather's words that time about "Ceadda magic."

"I don't know," she replied. "I've head the stories, of course, but- " She let her voice trail off.

"Well, I guess we'll never know, will we?" Morvath went on. "Since old Inutashio killed them all. And they couldn't have been that powerful if they let themselves get killed. Could they?"

Kagome decided to take a risk. "There were stories that some of them escaped," she said casually.

He looked at her in surprise. "I never heard that. Well, if they did, they'd better stay way from Domna, or Lord Inuyasha 'll finish what his father started."

Then he got up reluctantly as someone called his name. "Never a minute's rest," he said ruefully as he left her to join some of his mates.

Kagome's fingers continued to stitch nimbly but her mind was totally confused. Sorcerers? Was in possible? She was both repulsed by the idea and yet strangely attracted to it. She let herself consider it for a few moments, then thrust it aside. What difference did it make now? Even if her people _had_ been sorcerers, _she_ certainly wasn't.

But that chill returned as she thought about Morvath's parting remark about this Lord Inuyasha, the current ruler of Domna. What did it mean, really, to be a lord? She knew that the Vali had rulers, but her own people had none. Decisions affection them all were made at meetings where anyone could speak his or her mind freely. There had sometimes been arguments, but eventually, they'd all agreed.

It frightened her to think that she was now irrevocably bound for a place where one-man ruled- especially since that man was the descendant of the one who had killed her people.

**)O( **

Two weeks after they set sail, the ship entered the wide harbor of Tiamat. The Captain said they'd made record time, thanks to fair weather and favorable winds. Kagome had learned nothing more from Morvath, since she feared asking too many questions. Instead, she occupied herself with listening carefully to his pronunciations and then imitating them. In the evenings in their small cabin, she taught Souta to change his speech as well. Shippou on the other hand took it as a great game and decide to learn it as well.

She told them nothing of what she's learned from Morvath, but cautioned him regularly about not mentioning that they were Ceadda. He accepted this as children are wont to do, no doubt believing it to be just another one of those incomprehensible adult behaviors. And in any event, he and Shippou were far too busy becoming sailors, having decided on the first day of their voyage that that's what they wanted to be.

Like Aegir, Tiamat was a teeming throng of humanity. But unlike Aegir, the dominant tongue here was Rhea and most of the people were, like Souta and Kagome, dark of hair and skin.

She wanted to feel at home in this place but Morvath's revelations were weighing heavily upon her even though they were not yet in Domna. Still, it was a homecoming, and she refused to let her fears completely destroy that pleasure.

As they made their way through the crowds in search of an inn, Kagome saw from time to time a particular set of features that instantly reminded her of someone from her village. A boy about Souta's age scampered past them and she heard his sharply indrawn breath. The child reminded them both of one of Souta's playmates. She hugged him.

"There will be new friends when we get to Domna. I know it will never take the place of the friends you lost, but look at Shippou and think of this as a journey towards new friends."

He nodded solemnly, but she knew her words were inadequate. It seemed to her that neither of them had as yet faced up to the true magnitude of their loss- and their aloneness.

She chose another small inn and this time was grateful that the innkeeper wasn't quite so friendly, since she didn't want to have to answer questions. She'd been unable to ask either the captain or Morvath to recommend a place, since she'd told them she'd lived here with her nonexistent husband.

They stayed in Tiamat for three days. The weather had become much colder, with the hint of winter to come. On her first day in the port city, she found a dressmaker who could quickly outfit all three of them with winter clothing, and she purchased good boots as well. Then she went to a stable to inquire about purchasing horses.

When she told the proprietor that they were going north to Domna, he immediately recommended that they join a caravan rather than attempt the journey on their own.

"Is the trip dangerous?" she asked, recalling Morvath and the captain's statements about Lord Inuyasha and his wars.

"The first part could be, miss," the man nodded. "There's groups of highwaymen on the road and the soldiers who're supposed to keep them away are naught but thieves themselves. You should find a caravan to Gednay at least. After that, you could travel alone well enough. Then you'll be in Lord Inuyasha's lands and he don't let them get away with it. When his men catch them, they string them up alongside the road as a warning to others. A right good man, that Lord Inuyasha, there's lots of us would like to see him King."

The man promised to make some inquires about a caravan to Gednay. Kagome thanked him and left, mulling over this latest bit of news about Lord Inuyasha. Hanging robbers seemed a bit drastic to her, but it was clear that the stableman approved. Crime had been almost nonexistent in her village, though and when it had occurred, the culprit was dealt with by family.

**)O( **

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_Don't forget to push the little button. :)_


	6. Chapter Five

_**Disclaimer I don't own much. Of course this means Inuyasha and his crew.** _

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**Of Fates Unknown**

**_Chapter Five_**

The stable owner found them a caravan, and on a raw, cloudy day, the three set out on the final leg of their long journey. Shippou traded off riding with either Souta or Kagome but when he was tired he would often curl up in Kagome's arms for a nap. There where several groups from Domna in the caravan, but Kagome remained separate from them. She had no idea how big Domna was, and feared that they might ask questions she couldn't answer.

The land changed quickly from broad plains to rolling hills with still higher mountains in the distance: mountains so tall they seemed to touch the sky. And the weather grew even colder. One day, there was even a slight sprinkling of snow that frosted the forest floor and shady crevasses between the rocks.

Gednay turned out to be a village not much larger than the one they had once called home, and after resting there for a day, the trio set out alone for Domna. The innkeeper assured her they would be safe, repeating what the stable owner in Tiamat had said about Lord Inuyasha's brand of justice.

The road was deserted as they road north into a cold wind blowing down from the jagged peaks ahead of them, and when the sun appeared briefly in the afternoon, they saw that the highest of the peaks had snow at their crests.

They stopped that night in a small, tidy village where they found a widow who took in guests. She seemed as glad for the company as for the coin, and after plying them with more food than they could possibly eat, she talked about the incessant wars that had already robbed her of her husband and her eldest son.

"Lord Inuyasha's a different man from his father," the woman said, shaking her head. "A good man in many ways, but he's not about to rest until he's king. My Padric said that he even took a vow not to marry 'til he wears the crown. He wants to give his son more than he has you see."

Kagome had told her that her grandmother was originally from Domna, and since she herself was now a widow with a younger brighter to care for, she had decided to return there in the hope of finding a relative. She also spoke of how they had found Shippou along the way and didn't want to leave him alone so they brought him with them on their journey.

"My grandmother told me stories about Domna," she told her hostess. "The ones I remember the best were about the Ceadda. I guess I remember them because she said they were sorcerers."

"Aye, so I've heard," the older woman nodded. "I remember those stories from my own grandmother, but I never put much stock in them. They were just stories of the kind you tell the wee ones: elves and such likes."

Kagome had to restrain a smile at that. She wondered what the woman would say if she knew that she was talking to one of them, albeit one who knew nothing of sorcery.

Still, it now seemed clear to her that the Rheas had believed her people to possess strange powers. The woman repeated the tales that Morvath had told about bringing the rain and the sun and holding back the frost until the harvest was complete. And she added to those stories about strange powers of healing as well.

As she lay in bed that night, with Shippou curled up with her as he had taken to doing, Kagome thought that at some point in the future, she could surely find a way to learn all about her people. She would have to be careful, of course but surely in Domna itself, there would be opportunity.

The next day on the road, they came upon a grisly sight that proved the truth about Lord Inuyasha's way of dealing with robbers. Two bodies dangled from a tree at the side of the road. They'd apparently been there for some time, since she smelled them even before she saw them. She hurried them all along quickly as Souta shuddered and Shippou just buried himself deeper in her arms while holding his nose. Death was something they'd all seen too much of already.

Kagome hadn't really doubted what she'd been told, but this ugly evidence served to remind her that she was now in the land of a cruel, warlike man who would almost certainly kill them if he knew who they were.

Shortly after they passed the dangling bodies, they came upon a small group of soldiers heading in the opposite direction. As the men came to a halt just ahead of her, cold terror coursed though her veins. She'd been told that Lord Inuyasha's men were honest, but that did little to improve her state of mind at the moment.

Their leader rode up to them and touched his helmet briefly. "Good day to you, missus. Are you bound for Domna?"

She said that they were and asked if the way was safe.

"Safe enough, missus. You'll come to no trouble in Lord Inuyasha's lands. But you'd best get to Domna as fast as you can. The weather's about to take a turn for the worse."

Kagome lifted her head and looked up at the bright blue sky with a frown, and the soldier chuckled.

"I can see you're a stranger here." He gestured behind him. "See that milky sort of sky about the mountains? By tomorrow, it'll be bringing us snow."

Since he seemed so friendly, Kagome ventured to inquire where she might find lodging in Domna.

"Go to the Sword and Bow. It's a tavern, but the owner's got some cottages back behind and he's the honest sort. You can't miss it. It's just before you start up the hill to the keep."

The small group rode through the wide gates into the walled city of Domna the next day, just as the first snowflakes began to fall through the still, cold air.

For more than an hour, they'd ridden through farmlands now denuded of their crops- and during that entire time, the forbidding stone walls had loomed ahead of them. Beyond the walls, they could see only a tall stone tower with narrow slits and a conical roof. And once, when they crested a hill, they could see the huge, sprawling keep itself.

These first glimpses of her ancestral home filled Kagome with a sense of wonder, and even Souta who chattered incessantly with Shippou as they rode, sat astride his small mare in silent awe.

"Power" was the word that filled her mind. Never in her sheltered life had she seen such a raw display of unimaginable power as she witnessed now. The huge stones that formed the wall were so old that they seemed a natural outcropping, and not something created by man. And yet, it might very well be that some of her own ancestors had labored to build that wall and the keep whose tower kept drawing her attention.

Because the wall had seemed so forbidding, Kagome was surprised to find life inside the city quite normal. She tensed briefly when she saw the guards in their elevated stations just inside the gates, but their impassive gaze swept over her and no challenge was issued.

Everywhere, people were hurrying to and fro, no doubt trying to finish their business before the storm's fury descended upon them. Kagome had quickly learned to judge the wealth of a place by the appearance of its inhabitants- a matter she'd never considered before since all her people had been well-fed and well-dressed.

Here in Domna, she saw none of the ragged people and hollow-eyed poverty she'd seen elsewhere. To be sure, some were better dressed than others, but no one looked truly poor. Even the cats and dogs seemed sleek and well-fed.

She did note, however, a number of men, most of them fairly young, who were missing limbs or parts of limbs. War had obviously taken its toll on the residents of Domna, but also appeared that the Lord of Domna took care of his own.

And well he might, she thought, if the tales of Domna's gold were even half-true. As a child, she'd heard about that gold: Ceadda gold, they'd called it, of course. But it had long since passed into the hands of Lord Inuyasha's family, stained with Ceadda blood.

To her amazement, the streets were paved with worn, rounded stones. And they were very clean as well, unlike the other placed she'd seen during her wanderings. Nowhere did she see the foul-smelling ditches or piles of litter she'd grown accustomed to.

She stopped to inquire of a young woman with two children in tow where she could find the Sword and Bow, then discovered it just where the soldier had indicated earlier, on a broad thoroughfare that led directly up to the massive stone keep that sat on a slight rise and dominated the entire city from behind its own separate wall.

She was pleased to see that the Sword and Bow appeared to be neat, tidy establishment, with bowed windows facing the street where window-boxes still held a profusion of late-blooming fall flowers. A low wall ran along both sides of the tavern, with a door set in one side. Beyond that wall, several roofs were visible and she assumed they must be the cottages.

They tethered their horses to the railing outside the tavern and pushed through the heavy door. Prepared for the pungent smell of yeasty brews, Kagome was startled to be met instead by the far more pleasant aromas of good food.

She shook off her snow-covered cloak, and helped the boys with theirs as they looked around. It was mid-afternoon and there were few patrons about. Those who were present were well-dressed and obviously there to eat, rather than to drink. The place was cleaner than any she'd seen yet and handsomely furnished as well. No one was behind the long bar at the moment, but as they stood there in the entryway, a woman appeared from the kitchen. The boy's stomachs rumbled loudly and Kagome promised them something to eat as soon as they found out about lodgings.

The short and rather stout woman bustled up to them, wiping her hands on a spotless apron. Her bright eyes took them in quickly.

"Strangers, aren't ye? Welcome to the Sword and Bow. We've got some good stew left and some nice biscuits too. Just ahead of the storm, aren't ye?" She looked out the window, where the snow was now falling thickly in the waning light.

"We would like a meal," Kagome told her, warming instantly to this motherly person. "But we're also looking for lodgings. I was told that you might have a cottage available."

"Ahh," said the woman with a smile. "As it happens, I do. But it hasn't been cleaned yet. The tenant just left this morning. How long do ye recon ye'll be staying?"

"I'm not sure," Kagome said. Then she launched into her story about a grandmother who'd grown up in Domna and her dead parents and husband. And how along the way they found the orphaned youkai.

"Gram always talked about Domna, so we thought we'd come to see if any of her people are still here. We may decide to stay. It seems a fine place."

"That it is, in spite of it all. Where were ye living before?"

"In Aegir. My husband was from there. He was a merchant."

"Ahh, so _that_ explains your accent," the woman nodded sagely. "I couldn't quite place it."

So much for all her efforts, Kagome thought. But the woman appeared to have accepted her tale, and that was all that counted.

"My name's Keade. My husband's Myoga, and we own the Sword and Bow." She took Kagome's arm and placed a friendly hand on Souta's dark head. "Ye just set yerselves down and have some dinner, while I send a girl out to clean up the cottage. D'ye have horses?"

Kagome said they did and Keade told her she'd send the stable boy around to tend to them and unload their belongings.

The meal was delicious and before it was over, the chill had left their bones. Kagome felt lulled by the food and warmth and the kind mothering of Keade. All of it, she thought, seemed a good sign that coming here had been a good decision.

The cottage was snug and decently furnished, and even had two bedrooms, although one was very tine. She chose that one for herself, since she intended to replace the boy's toys as soon as possible and they would require more space than she herself required. It also pleased her that the cottage was secluded at the very rear of the large property, and therefore away from the noise of the tavern.

After they had settled in, Souta fell asleep on the think hearth rug and Shippou fell asleep in Kagome's arms while she sat in a sturdy old rocker, she began for that first time to consider their future here. Up to this moment, her thoughts had been focused only on getting them to this place safely.

I have come too far too fast, she thought. But now I must think about how we are to live.

The rent had proved to be reasonable enough and she still had quite a large supply of gold coins left. But it certainly wouldn't last forever. It felt strange to have to think about such matters, since her future had always been secure in the village.

Her gaze fell on her sleeping brother and she got up to get him a blanket, laying Shippou down next to him, she covered them both up with it. Souta stirred slightly, but only to snuggle into Shippou better. She thought about waking him and send them to bed, but guessed that he would want to remain here. Souta still disliked being out of her sight.

When she turned away from the hearth, she saw her precious lythra in its worn leather case, leaning against the wall where she left it earlier. She hadn't played it in all this time. She would have played it during her sea journey, but when she'd brought it out on deck, the captain had warned her that the salt air might damage it.

Now she picked it up and examined it, running her fingers over the ornately carved wood. It was very old when her grandmother gave it to her. In fact, it had been carried by _her_ grandmother when they'd fled Domna.

"So now you're home again," she said to it softly. "Perhaps you'll play even more sweetly here."

She plucked lightly at the strings, thrilling as always to the deep resonance. If she played quietly, she wouldn't disturb Souta. She'd often played for him before he went to sleep.

Kagome had over the years composed many of her own melodies, but on this night, she chose one of the old ones her grandmother had taught her. None of them had names- or if they had, they'd long since been forgotten. As a child first learning them, Kagome had called them "sad-happy", and she still thought of them that way: poignant, bittersweet melodies that never failed to stir the deepest emotions.

She had no idea how long she'd been playing when she head the light tap at the door. Setting aside the lythra, she got up and unbolted the door to find Keade standing there, frosted with snow but smiling.

"I dinna want to disturb ye, but thought I should check to see if ye need anything." She held out a cloth-covered plate. "And I brought a little plate of cakes."

"Thank you," Kagome said warmly. "Please come in. The boy's have fallen asleep on the hearth."

Keade came in and clucked sympathetically. "Poor we lads. All this has been too much for them. But they'll like it here. My grandson's about Souta's age and they live just down the street. If this snow keeps up, they can have a grand snow fight tomorrow."

Kagome smiled. "They will like that. Would you like a cup of tea?"

Keade said she would and as Kagome busied herself getting it, she heard a soft exclamation and turned to find the woman staring at the lythra.

"Ach, but this is a lovely thing. I though I heard you playing. 'Tis very old, isn't it?"

Kagome nodded. "I'm not sure how old, really. My grandmother gave it to me and taught me to play, but it was old even then."

Keade bent to examine it more closely in the light of the oil lamp. "I've never seen one like it. All that beautiful carving."

Then she straightened up and accepted the cup of tea before settling herself in the second rocker. "There aren't many who play the lythra anymore, though everyone loves the old music."

Kagome thought about her earlier musings on their future. She hoped to set herself up as a healer, but that would take time because she'd have to seek out the places where the herbs grew and plant a garden as well.

"Do you think I could earn some money playing?" she asked. "I was thinking earlier that I must do something. I still have money left, but I have to be careful." She glanced at the sleeping boys.

"They will need a tutor. At the moment, they want to be a sailor, but I'm determined that they should be educated."

"Oh, ye won't need money for that. Not here. All children go to school. It's the law, ye see. Even out in the farm villages, they have to go, though allowances are made for farmwork."

"All? You mean it's free?" Kagome was surprised. That had been true in the village, but she'd already learned it was not the case in most places.

Keade nodded, "Lord Inuyasha says that all children must learn to read and write and know about their history. Some say that it was that way in the days of the Ceadda, but his father weren't so strict about it."

"The Ceadda." Kagome echoed. "I've heard of them, but I thought they were only legend. Were they really sorcerers?"

The older woman shrugged. "They might have been. That's what the old stories say. But they were real. They're all long gone, of course- more's the pity."

"What do you mean?"

Keade's ample bosom heaved with a sigh. "Oh nothin' really. There was wars then, too, and Lord Inuyasha's not a bad sort, really. A far better lord then his father was. Except that he won't rest 'til he's king. And at the rate he's goin', there won't be anything left of the Domna gold." Her eyes fell on the lythra again.

"Ye asked if ye could earn some money playing. We'd be happy to have ye play nights at the tavern. We run a decent place, ye know. We don't put up with no drunks- leastways not troublesome ones. Lord Inuyasha's mer come here regular and he won't have them gettin' drunk and causin' trouble. Fact is, his Lordship has been known to come in himself from time to time. Likes to mingle with his people, he does. And he likes my molasses cakes, too. Even sends down for them."

Kagome's interest in earning some money was considerably dampened by the thought of having Lord Inuyasha for an audience, but she agreed to play, knowing that she risked offending this kind woman if she didn't. He must not come that often, and with any luck, she'd never see him.

After Keade had gone, Kagome sat there thinking about Lord Inuyasha. What a strange man he must be: cruel enough to hang thieves and subject his people to constant wars, yet good enough to provide free schooling and see to it that all his people were well-cared for.

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_Ok, now Keade and Myoga, yeah well I just soooo see him as a barkeep and can see Keade as his kindly wife. Doen't ask, cause no, he is not a flea in this, just a normal human. But it was a pairing that I just couldn't resist. giggles Don't forget to review. Thanks!_

_Brightest of Blessings,_

_Lady Banshee 999_


	7. Chapter Six

_**Disclaimer I don't own much. Of course this means Inuyasha and his crew.**_

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**Of Fates Unknown**

**_Chapter Six_**

Kagome awoke with a start. Her heart was thudding noisily. For a moment, she thought that Souta had cried out, but even as she leapt from bed to check on him, she was almost certain that it was she herself who had made a sound.

Souta and Shippou were sleeping peacefully, burrowed deep into the thick quilts. After listening to their slow, even breathing for a few moments, she returned to her own bed. She felt strange, still half-caught on the edge of an unremembered dream, or an almost-remembered dream.

Then, knowing that she wouldn't find sleep again quickly, she got out of bed again, drawing the thick quilt around her to ward off the night chill. The little cottage was sturdily built, but the fire had never been her chore, and she hadn't thought to add more logs before she went to bed.

Now she saw that there were no more logs. Bringing in the firewood had been Souta's chore but it seemed that neither of them had yet gotten into the old domestic habits or established new ones.

The wood was in a box just outside the kitchen door. She undid the bolt and pulled open the door, then stopped as a blast of cold air struck her. Clutching the quilt clumsily around her she hurried out to get the wood- then stopped again.

The snow had ended and the cold night air was very clear. High up on its hill, the great keep was looming menace in the darkness. Here and there in the upper reaches of its vastness, lights burned, and she could see small fires along the outer wall, no doubt to warm the sentries.

But it was the dark tower that commanded her attention. She stared at it, paying no head to the cold that was numbing her fingers and face. A sudden wave of longing engulfed her, a feeling so intense that she actually cried out.

Then suddenly, a pale, flickering light came on in the tower, far up near the roof. She remembered seeing narrow slits in the stone walls and guessed that the eerie light must be coming from them. But what could make such a light? It wasn't the golden glow of oil lamps or the ordinary fire, but rather a ghostly white, tinged perhaps with blue.

That inchoate sense of longing grew ever stronger, and before she even knew what she was doing, Kagome had started across the small yard. Only when she reached the outer wall of the tavern property did she stop and come to her senses.

Then she ran back to the cottage, pausing only to grab an armful of wood before hurrying inside. But before she closed the door behind her, she lifted her head to stare up at the tower again. And this time, she saw nothing. The light was gone.

**)O( **

Inuyasha heard the story the next morning, when the sergeant for the guard came to make his routine report.

"I light in the tower?" he queried between forkfuls of thick ham.

"Yes, m'lord. The men say it was a strange light. Blue-white is how they described it. They dinna know what to do, so they came and woke me, but by the time I got outside, it was gone."

"Hmmpphh!" Inuyasha snorted. "More than likely, they were seeing things through the bottom of a bottle. I know they need something to keep them warm on cold nights, but if there are any more stories like this, they'll have to do without."

"Beggin' your pardon, sir, but these are good men. They mighta had a wee dram or two- but that's all."

Inuyasha stared at him. He wasn't affronted by the sergeant's words; he encouraged his men to speak up- even to him. Furthermore, he knew they were good me; otherwise, they wouldn't be there. He wasn't one to suffer fools and drunkards. The truth was that he was feeling somewhat out of sorts this morning. He had the vaguest sense that his sleep had been disturbed by something- and hearing that a light had been seen in the tower certainly didn't improve his state of mind.

"What about the guards on the city walls? Did they report seeing anything?"

"I don't know yet," the sergeant admitted. "Shall I check on that and let you know?"

Inuyasha nodded and waved him away, then continued to eat his breakfast without his usual pleasure. Damn it all to hell! He didn't want anyone getting interested in that tower. The story had been put out long ago that the tower was in disrepair and was kept under locked for that reason.

The sergeant returned just as he was finishing his second mug of strong tea in an attempt to clear the remaining cobwebs from his brain. He reported that two of the guards on the city wall had also seen a light in the tower, but it had vanished quickly, leaving them uncertain that they'd seen anything in the first place.

"A trick of the moonlight or starlight, no doubt." Inuyasha told the man. "There's nothing up there."

And then, as soon as the sergeant had gone, Inuyasha took the key to the tower door and left his apartment, pausing long enough to be sure that no one was about before hurriedly unlocking the sturdy padlock, hauling open the heavy door, and then pulling it shut behind him and bolting it again from the inside.

Everything seemed just as it had always been. The only footprints in the thick dust were his own. The obelisk was as inscrutable as ever, bathed at the moment in a shaft of sunlight that poured in through the slits in the walls.

And yet, he _felt_ something, some minute change of atmosphere inn the chill of the room. The light hairs on the backs of his hands and the hair at the nape of shi neck rose. In the silence, he had the faint, but very real, impression of a humming sound just below the range of his exceptional hearing.

He put out his hand and touched the obelisk, expecting to find it cool to the touch. But it felt surprisingly warm instead. He withdrew his hand quickly and stared at it, frowning.

Reason argued with tales of dark magic in his brain as he stood there. Even if there had once been magical powers locked inside the obelisk, why should they be awakening now?

The Ceadda had been gone for more than a hundred years.

He went back down the stairs, dismissing the whole thing. The damned thing was warm because the sun had been shining on it and he had let his imagination run wild for a moment because he wasn't feeling quite himself this morning. Probable it had been the result of the cook's overzealous hand with spices. Or maybe it was time for him to consider finding a mate.

**)O(**

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_Well, another chapter done. giggles I soo love this story so far. They are sooo much fun to play with. rubs Inu's ears See! Anyways, don't forget to review. Thanks!_

_Brightest of Blessings,_

_Lady Banshee 999_


	8. Chapter Seven

_**Disclaimer I don't own much. Of course this means Inuyasha and his crew.**_

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**Of Fates Unknown**

**_Chapter Seven_**

The Sword and Bow was packed well beyond its normal capacity, but the only sounds to be heard were the haunting melodies of the lythra. Men who would otherwise have been laughing and playing games of chance were silent and still, all their eyes on the dark-haired beauty whose slender fingers plucked the strings with an ease that belied the legendary difficulty of the instrument. Woman who usually came to gossip were silent as well, their minds drifting with the poignant music.

Kagome felt nearly suffocated by the unexpected crowd, but did her best to ignore them as she bent over the lythra, her long, black hair falling forward in soft curls to rest against the deep red gown.

She was in fact quite overwhelmed by her success. She knew she played well, but playing the ancient instrument had not been uncommon among her people. This was the second night she'd played, and while the crowed had been generous with their praise and their money on the first night, she had not expected it to swell to such proportions tonight.

When she finished, a brief silence was followed by thunderous applause that threatened to crack the smoke-stained beams of the tavern. There were pleas for more, but she put up her hand to signal that she needed to rest. Myoga quieted the crowd with a promise that she would return, while Keade brought her a cup of the light, fruity win she preferred. The proprietors of the Sword and Bow beamed upon her.

"There hasn't been a crowd this big in here since Lord Inuyasha won his last battle," Myoga remarked, shaking his craggy gray head.

Keade ushered her into the back room where they stored supplies and kept the books. "Ye look like ye need a rest, dearie. No on will bother ye here."

"I should go check on the boys," Kagome said as she sank gratefully into a chair.

"They're just fine- sound asleep. I looked in on them just a short while ago," Keade assured her.

Kagome thanked her and sipped gratefully at the wine. Myoga appeared with a leather sack full of coins, hefting it with a smile.

"More than last time, I'd say- and the evening isn't over yet. It helps that they just got paid today. From Lord Inuyasha's coffers to yours," he chuckled. "And to ours as well."

The vast majority of the tavern's clientele were soldiers from the garrison at the keep. And as Keade had promised her, they weren't an unruly lot. There were always officers among them, and if any man became too drunk or disorderly, he was quickly hustled away. Furthermore, the presence of the soldiers tended to guarantee good behavior on the part of other customers as well.

After a brief rest, Kagome returned to play some more, drawing loud cheers as she sat down on the stool and took up the lythra again. And when she had finished, the leather sack was indeed nearly full.

The patrons treated her with a reverence that she found rather disconcerting. Although there was no mistaking the desire in the eyes of many of them, no one attempted to force himself upon her. She had no experience of taverns, but she was sure such behavior wasn't very common.

When she went to say good night to Myoga and Keade, they were talking to a tall man she'd seen earlier, one of the officers. Myoga introduced him as Captain Manning.

He bowed slightly. "Allow me to escort you to your cottage, miss. My men won't trouble you, but I can't vouch for the others."

She glanced at Myoga, who nodded briefly. He had escorted her himself the previous night for the same reason, but it was obvious that he trusted the captain. She thanked him graciously and accepted his arm.

As he pushed open the door for her, he smiled. "Your talents will make you a rich woman."

"Hardly that," she protested. "I want only to support myself, my brother, and Shippou."

"Myoga tells me that you lived in Aegir and lost your husband there. Have you found your relatives here?"

"No," she replied, nervous as always when confronted with her lies. "I fear that there aren't any. But I like this place, and it's as good as any to settle down. I want my brother and Shippou to continue their education and they already like the school."

The captain nodded, "I was told that you had taken in a young fox youkai that was orphaned. A bit surprising that someone as young as you would do so, seeing as you already have a young sibling to care for, especially since you are human."

Kagome smiled, "We came across Shippou on our travels. We no not about who killed his parents, just that he was orphaned and had nowhere else to go. We were not about to leave the poor dear alone, so we offered to care for him. He is an exceptional child and he and my brother get along very well. And I find that I too am very attached to the little one. I myself do not see a problem with him being a youkai."

"Well, it is nice to know talk to another with the same view on youkai. Seeing as Lord Inuyasha is a hanyou himself, we have come across many who do not share your view."

At this Kagome looked shocked, "I didn't know, myself that he was. If I may ask, a hanyou means part youkai and part human correct?"

Captain Manning took in her shock and shook his head. "Yes, his father was a inuyoukai, his mother a mortal woman."

Kagome sighed. "Well that explains why Shippou had no problems with entering school. I was actually worried about if he would be allowed to school with Souta or not."

"Aye, Lord Inuyasha sees to it that the schools are well-run as well as allowing all. In no other place that I know of can children of all races be schooled for free- even the girls."

She bristled slightly at that, but said nothing. Back in her lost village, boys and girls hand always been educated together. No one there thought it strange that girls should learn to read and write. Granted they didn't have any youkai in the village, but they did often time did come in contact with them. Most were peaceful but once in a great while, they were not.

They reached the door to her cottage and she paused to thank him. He gestured to the bag that contained the lythra.

"Would you let me examine your lythra more closely? Myoga said that it's very old."

"Yes, of course," she said, opening the door and inviting him inside, though not without some misgivings. Myoga trusted him and he seemed very polite, but he _was_ a soldier and an officer, and therefore a bit too close for comfort to Lord Inuyasha.

She took the lythra from its bag and handed it to him. He held it close to the light from the oil lamp and bent to study it.

"Do you know how old it is?"

"Not really. My grandmother gave it to me, and it had been passed to her by _her_ grandmother."

He traced a finger over the intricate carvings. "Many years ago, it was the favored instrument of the Ceadda. But you must know that."

He looked up at her and she nodded, keeping her expressions calm even as fear jolted through her. Keade had told her that, but she knew that others had played it as well.

"Yes, I'd heard that. I don't know much about the Ceadda, though- and I'm not sure I believe the tales I was told about them."

"About their sorcery?" He shrugged, "No one really knows but they once ruled Domna. It was Inutashio, Lord Inuyasha's father, who defeated and killed them."

Kagome managed a smile. "Well then, they can't have been sorcerers, can they? Otherwise, they couldn't have been defeated."

"One tale I've heard many times is that they overreached themselves, that the source of their powers was hear- up at the keep." He nodded in that direction. "And when they ventured too far in their attempts to conquer, they lost their powers."

An image of the tower came unbidden into her mind. She hadn't seen those strange lights again, but she continued to be tormented each night by unremembered dreams.

"I don't understand," she said. "Do you mean that there's something in the keep itself that was the source of their power?"

"Possibly, though what it could have been I don't know. Whatever it was must have died with them."

Before she could stop herself, she told him that she'd once heard a tale that some of the Ceadda had managed to escape from Domna and had fled.

He appeared to be genuinely surprised. "I never heard that one, but I suppose it's possible. Still, they've never come back and you'd think they would have wanted to reclaim their powers, if they had any to begin with."

He took his leave and she followed him to the door, where her gaze was once again dragged up to the looming tower. And again, her curiosity got the better of her judgment.

"Do you know what's in that tower?" she asked.

The captain followed her gaze. "Nothing. It's in bad shape. It's been locked up for years. Lord Inuyasha says it would be too costly and too dangerous to have it repaired.

After he had gone, Kagome made a cup of tea and sat for a time by the fire. Apparently, no one here knew that some Ceadda had survived, which gave her considerable comfort. All of them seemed to regard the Ceadda as being nothing more than an interesting piece of history.

She was intrigued by his statement that the tower was kept locked and had been for years. If so, then what could explain that light? And what about his statement that the source of Ceadda power was believed to have been in something that been there, Inutashio would have destroyed it just as he destroyed her people.

Kagome found herself strangely unwilling to examine her thoughts too closely. It felt to her as though she were circling a very deep and very dark abyss, where one misplaced foot would send her plummeting into her worst nightmare.

**)O( **

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_**Review responses:**_

**Yume no Mei** - I am very glad you enjoyed this story. I must say that I am rather pleased with it as well. : ) I am attempting to update this daily as long as I do not come across any unforeseen problems. (you know how it goes.) I hope you continue to enjoy this story as time progresses.

**jeff16** - Thank you for your review. I am glad you will continue to read this story. I know for myself I often enjoy getting viewer responses about my work. That way I know what they like or what they didn't. For me it helps me learn what works and what doesn't when writing.

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_Well, that's all for now. I will try to post another chapter later this evening. As long as all goes according to plan. Again thank you two for your reponses._

_Brightest of Blessings,_

_Lady Banshee 999_


	9. Chapter Eight

_**Disclaimer I don't own much. Of course this means Inuyasha and his crew.**_

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**Of Fates Unknown**

**_Chapter Eight_**

"I heard that the Sword and Bow has a new attraction," Inuyasha said, stretching his long legs towards the fire after an inspection of his armory.

The captain nodded. It didn't surprise him that Inuyasha already knew about her. He didn't miss much.

"She's lately come from Aegir," he said, taking off his own boots and settling down beside Inuyasha. "She's a young widow with a little brother and an orphaned fox kit youkai. She says that she came here to find some relatives, but there don't seem to be any."

Inuyasha glanced over at him and narrowed his gaze. "It sounds as though you don't believe her. Though it is surprising to hear about her taking care of an orphan youkai. Have you talked to her already?"

"Aye. And I don't know if I believe her or not. It seems strange to me that she'd come such a long distance not knowing if she'd find any family here. According to Myoga, she's well off, so she couldn't have come looking for a handout from her family. And she doesn't seem to hold youkai in contempt, in fact she is quite taken with the kit, as the kit is with her." He paused, "Then there's the matter of that lythra."

"Oh? I've been told she's very good."

The captain nodded. "She is. Some of the men are saying that she plays like the Ceadda must have played. I got a good look at that lythra, and it looks old enough to have been one of theirs. It has some strange figures carved onto it."

He paused again, then went on in a musing tone. "She told me that she'd heard a tale that some of the Ceadda escaped from Domna."

Inuyasha stared at him, realizing only belatedly how hard he was staring. The captain made a gesture as though to dismiss his own words.

"I've never heard that," Inuyasha lied. "But I suppose it's possible."

"There's one other thing," the captain went on. "She seemed interested in the old tower- asked what it was used for. I wouldn't have thought anything of it, except for that light the men saw up around the time she came here."

"Something about her troubles me, Inuyasha. I don't know what it is, but I'm going to keep an eye on her. It shouldn't be hard to do. I'm on good terms with the Sheppards."

Inuyasha nodded, but said nothing. A long silence fell between the two lifelong friends. Captain Miroku Manning knew that something was troubling Inuyasha, but he knew too that he wasn't ready to speak of it. So he got up and took his leave, then turned back at the door to see Inuyasha staring pensively into the flames.

Was it possible? The question pounded at Inuyasha, throbbing through his brain. He'd been back to the tower each day since the morning after the light had been seen. Nothing had changed, but each time, he'd felt that strange energy in the air.

There was too many coincidences to his way of thinking. Lights are seen in the tower at the same time a woman arrives with a far-fetched explanation for being here. She plays what has to be a Ceadda lythra. Miroku hadn't recognized those carvings, but Inuyasha knew what they must be. And she inquires about the tower.

After all these years, had the Ceadda finally come home? Could there be more of them than just the woman and boy? They could be advance scouts, cloaked in innocence.

Inuyasha, Lord of Domna and determined to be King of the Rheas, decided that it was time he had a look at this woman himself.

**)O( **

Kagome had assumed that the crowds would diminish once the novelty had worn off, but that seemed not to be the case. In fact, it was quite the contrary. Myoga and Keade were forced to turn away trade, a situation that had them thinking about enlarging the tavern in the spring.

Her fame had even spread through the city so that people stared at her and pointed when she went out to shop. Shippou and Souta were quite proud of her, Shippou told her that he was happy with her ability and loved it when she would play for the boys alone or to test out a new piece she was composing. Even though Souta didn't understand why people thought her playing was so wonderful.

"That's because you've always heard me play," she told him. "And we both know there were others who played as well or better than me."

Following her statement, the three of them had lapsed into silence, as they always did when one of them brought up the subject of their former life. But for all of them, the pain was receding deep into memory, and was no longer so close to the surface.

The boys, Souta who'd always been a happy, outgoing boy, and Shippou who they learned was very intelligent and quick to laugh, were already making new friends and learning new games. They even went to school eagerly, which for Souta was not always the case. Souta slept well now, too, and no longer awoke crying in the middle of the night. But Shippou, who was younger, still insisted on sleeping with Kagome at night.

Kagome met an older fox youkai that was very kind and had an in depth discussion with him about the care and nurturing of a fox youkai. He said that fox youkai families were often times snuggled together at night both for warmth and security. He himself was shocked to learn how attached the young kit had gotten to Kagome and Souta. They were not known for such things and often times kits died due to the shock of the loss of whole family units.

He was also pleased to see how attached the humans where to the kit. He told her that they were raised for the most part like a normal human child, except to expect lots of mischief and pranks as is the fox nature. But discipline as to what is and is not acceptable would be sure to curtail some of that. Also that Shippou could learn fox magic by way of another fox. They were often times very understanding of the plight of another of their kind and when the time came for him to be taught, it wouldn't be hard to find someone willing to teach the boy.

Instead of the boys waking up in the middle of the night though, it was Kagome herself who awoke every night, her heart thudding and her body drenched in perspiration. Despite the winter cold, she often crept outside at such times to stare at the dark tower. But there was no repetition of that eerie light, and she gradually began to doubt that she'd ever seen it in the first place.

Still, a part of her remained convinced that there was a connection between the dreams that tormented her and that tower. She even began to wonder if there might be some way she could gain access to the keep and see the tower for herself, although that seemed unlikely, since Captain Manning had said that it was in a state of disrepair and was always kept locked.

Despite the dreams and her inexplicable fascination with the tower, Kagome was content- even happy. Keade and Myoga were becoming a new family for her and the boys. They were welcomed into the large family gatherings held regularly in the Sheppards' pleasant home next door to the tavern, and Kagome knew that their affection for the three was based on more than just the increased trade she was bringing to the Sword and Bow.

Several times, she considered telling them the truth, but could never quite bring herself to do so. The closest she came to confessing her origins was one evening when Keade told her that some of the customers were saying that she played as the Ceadda must have played long ago.

Perhaps the only thing that stopped her was the fact that the Sheppards and Captain Manning were clearly good friends, and she wasn't certain that they would keep her secret from him. From comments she'd overheard, Kagome knew by now that the captain was considered by all to be the man closest to Lord Inuyasha.

He still appeared at the tavern every evening she played, and continued to escort her back to her cottage. Although his behavior was never more than friendly, Kagome began to worry that he might be courting her. But then Keade happened to mention that he captain's wife was soon to give birth to their second child, and the captain himself confirmed this with obvious pride, expressing the hope that they would have a daughter this time.

Each night she played, Kagome scanned the crowd for Lord Inuyasha, since Myoga and Keade had once said that he came in from time to time. She had no idea what he looked like, but assumed that she would have no difficulty spotting him. And as it happened, she was right.

One evening when she was about halfway through her first set, Captain Manning and several other officers she recognized entered the packed tavern. As always, they were wearing their dark blue uniforms with the braided gold that gleamed on their shoulders. But this time, another man was with them, and he was not in uniform.

The stranger was quite tall, taller even than the captain, and when he removed his heavy cloak, she saw that he was very broad shouldered but lean through the waist and hips. He was quite handsome, with straight silvery hair that went all the way down to his hips that was unbound. Unlike many of the other men, he was clean-shaven, and defiantly not human. Although unlike other youkai, his ears were not pointed, but instead he had very silver dog like ears at the top of his head, that flicked on occasion when a noise caught their interest. He was richly dressed, but no more so than some of the other civilian customers who were mostly prosperous businessmen.

When she had first seen him, Kagome had been certain this must be Lord Inuyasha, and the fears she'd set aside returned. But as she covertly watched the man no one seemed to be paying him any undue amount of attention, so she decided that she must be mistaken as to who the man was.

She returned her attention to her playing even though the image of the handsome stranger lingered in her mind. She even had a very large urge to go over and rub his ears. She mentally rolled her eyes at that. She had never been one to give into urges like that, well, at least not till she learned that Shippou loved to have his tailed stroked, and often times at night while they went over their lessons he would sit in her lap and she would pet his tail. When she had finished her tune and looked his way again, she saw that he was now seated at a table not far away. Two barmaids had managed to make their way through the crowed to his table, and she saw both of them curtsy to him. When he raised his hand to take the tankard from one of them, she saw not only a flash of gold and jewels on his fingers but also tapered claws.

Their eyes met across the width of the tavern- or so she though. She couldn't be sure because the light wasn't that good, but what she could of sworn they were golden. Even so, she felt a stab of fear, mixed with something else: a stirring deep inside that she hadn't felt since Tarren's death more than three years ago.

No, she told herself fiercely. He _must_ be Lord Inuyasha- and if he is, he is also the greatest danger you face.

She'd heard some stories about him. He was unmarried, but what was really odd was that even though there were many who would willingly share his bed, he had never taken them up on the offer.

Among her own people, such a thing was true as well, though it wasn't uncommon for those already betrothed to share a bed before wedding but it seems that outside of the village it was very unheard of.

When she had shown her dislike to the practice but doubt to his claim of abstinence to Keade, the older woman had merely shrugged. "It was his vow he made when he was younger. He has been teased about not having a woman warming his bed, but he just shrugs it off."

Kagome began to play again, keeping her eyes resolutely away from the tall stranger's table. When she took a break, she intended to ask Keade about him, but there was no need.

"Lord Inuyasha himself's here tonight." Keade beamed proudly. "That always means a good night, because he pays for all."

"I though that must be him," Kagome said as she accepted the wine Keade had brought her.

Keade noticed her lack of enthusiasm. "Don't ye be worryin', dearie. I'm sure he's interested in ye, since he dinna take his eyes from ye- but he's not one to force himself on a woman."

"No doubt he's never _had_ to," Kagome remarked acerbically.

The older woman laughed, "'Tis true, I'll warrant ye that if he ever went against his vow. He's a handsome devil, even with him bein' a hanyou and all. And a right charmer too when he wants to be."

Kagome hoped very much that she wouldn't have to find that out for herself. She intended to escape quickly after her next set. She wasn't going to wait for Myoga or the captain to escort her back to the cottage this time.

She was troubled by Keade's remark that Lord Inuyasha hadn't taken his eyes off her, but she reminded herself that that was true of the others as well; she _was_ the performer, after all.

Fortunately, it was very easy for her to lose herself in her playing, and she deliberately chose some very difficult pieces to guarantee that her attention wouldn't wander back to him. Instead, she kept her face lowered to the lythra, concentrating intently on the difficult fingering.

When she finished to thunderous applause, Kagome lost no time in putting the lythra into its leather case. The crowd began to mill about and she moved as rapidly as possible toward the doorway that led through the kitchen to the rear entrance. But just as she reached it, she heard Myoga calling her. When she turned, he was making his way toward her. The crowd parted easily- not for Myoga, but for Lord Inuyasha, who together with the captain, was close on his heels.

Myoga hurried up to her, his face flushed with obvious pride. "His Lordship has asked to meet you, Kagome."

With considerable reluctance, Kagome raised her eyes to meet the eyes of the man with him. To her surprise, she was right when she first thought she saw them. His eyes were of a golden amber coloring with something moving in them that made her breath catch in her throat, and she could feel a flush creeping through her face.

No, she said again. This man is your enemy. The heat of desire might be in his eyes now, but if he knew the truth, he would kill you just as easily as he would bed you.

Inuyasha had been struck by her beauty from the moment he laid eyes on her, but as he got closer he realized that her beauty was only matched by her lovely scent which had his inner youkai's attention. He saw now that she was taller than many women, even though she was still a head shorter then he, although perhaps it was only her very erect posture. And while she had the olive-hued skin of the people of Rhea, there was a smooth clarity to her complexion that other women didn't have, and a high color where others often appeared sallow. Her features had a delicacy to them that only accented her large eyes and her generous mouth.

His gaze slid briefly down over her body in appreciation of the womanly curves just barely evident beneath her full gown. He found himself wondering if all of her was as smooth as luminous as her face. Both the human and youkai in him found her more attractive.

"You play very well, Kagome," he said. "My grandmother played the lythra and I've not heard it played since she died many years ago. The instrument she had looked much like yours, I think. She said that it had once belonged to the Ceadda. You've heard of them?"

"Yes," she replied succinctly, and he noted that she had neither curtsied nor used his title. "I don't know where mine came from. My grandmother gave it to me, and she said her grandmother had given it to her."

"May I see it?" he asked, certain now that she wanted nothing more that to escape from his presence.

She hesitated, then withdrew it from its leather sack and handed it to him. Inuyasha's face betrayed nothing, but the moment he saw it, he knew it was Ceadda, and that it only had confirmed his suspicions about her. Inutashio had ordered all Ceadda lythras destroyed after he had taken the keep, because he'd believed that the instruments with their runes might possess magical powers. The only one that had survived was one found many years later, stored away deep in the keep where all the Ceadda had lived. And that one had gone to his grandmother's funeral pyre with her, at her request.

He examined it in the light of a lamp the tavern keeper quickly produced, seeing the familiar runes carved into its ironwood surface. Only the Ceadda had used the precious ironwood, and only the Ceadda had carved those ancient symbols of their magic.

He handed it back to her, "It _is_ Ceadda. Those symbols are supposed to be the runes they used in their sorcery."

He saw the shock on her face as she stared from him to the lythra, and for the first time it occurred to him that she could be Ceadda and yet know little or nothing of her people's past. Still, she'd known that some of the Ceadda had escaped Inutashio's wrath-and she'd come back here.

"Do _you_ believe they were sorcerers?" she asked him, startling him with her directness.

"When so many tales exist, I'm inclined to credit at least some of them," he replied. "Do you not believe it then?"

"I don't believe in sorcery," she stated in that same succinct manner. "Tales like that are for children- like fairies and elves."

Then, before he could think of a response to that, she said that she was very tired and excused herself.

Myoga was clearly worried that His Lordship was offended by her abrupt behavior, because as soon as she had gone, he hastened to repeat her excuse. Inuyasha waved away his concern.

"She seems quite a remarkable woman- in many ways."

And so she was, he though. He'd never before encountered a woman who seemed completely uninterested in _his_ interest. In fact, he was quite certain that she disliked him and feared him in about equal measure.

**)O( **

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_**Greeting Children of Earth… This is your new schoolmaster…. **_

_(Ahem) Er, sorry. My family is a large Invader Zim fan. And I am listening to a DVD of it while I type out this Author's Note and when I went to type greetings, and well… I suddenly heard Gir give that greetings._

_Yeah, anyways, (giggles) I am sorry about the extra size of this chapter, but I could not break it down any better. So this is sort of a two in one chapter size. :D_

_I hope you all enjoy it, and don't forget to review!_

_Brightest of Blessings,_

_Lady Banshee 999_


	10. Chapter Nine

_**Disclaimer I don't own much. Of course this means Inuyasha and his crew.**_

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**Of Fates Unknown**

**_Chapter Nine_**

When the loud, insistent knock came to her door the next morning, Kagome assumed that it must be one of the boys, and that they had forgotten something in their rush to get to school. The school here was very strict about prompt attendance, unlike their village school had been.

She made a habit of bolting the door at all times, so she had to undo the heavy bolt before flinging it open. Instead of one of the boys, a servant of Lord Inuyasha stood there. Kagome had seen them about the city in their dark blue livery with its gold dog crest.

The youth bowed and extended his hand, which held a small, ornately carved wooden box. "With Lord Inuyasha's compliments, ma'am." Then bowed again and was off before she could say anything.

Kagome stared at the box. After her encounter with Lord Inuyasha last night, she had studied the carvings on her lythra that he had called runes, and she was sure that these were similar. The wood, too, was the same. She closed and re-bolted the door, then carried the box over to the hearth and sat down to undo the elaborate gold catch.

She cried out in surprise when she saw the contents: a necklace and bracelet, both in finely worked gold set with tiny rubies and diamonds. The workmanship was identical to pieces owned by her mother that had been passed down for generations and would have one day become hers, but undoubtedly now belonged to the murderous Vali.

The irony of the gift was not lost upon her as she lifted them out to examine them more closely. They were clearly Ceadda, stolen from her people by Inutashio, Inuyasha's murdering father- just like the Vali had stolen the jewels intended for her.

Then she finally noticed the note tucked into the deep lid of the box. She took it out and unfolded the rich, heavy paper carefully.

"I know of no one more suited to wear these. Thank you for a most pleasurable evening." And it was signed, simply, "Inuyasha."

Kagome read the words again and a chill came over her. "No one more suited". One could certainly take those words several ways. Either they were merely meant to be a compliment, or… She stared at his bold handwriting and asked the silent question: Does he know?

But how _could_ he know? He's said that his grandmother had owned a Ceadda lythra- and he certainly wasn't Ceadda. Surely others possessed them as well.

No, she decided, he hadn't been suggesting that he knew her secret. It was only the flowery words of seduction, words he had undoubtedly used many times in the past. For all she knew, he might have a veritable treasure trove of Ceadda jewels that he bestowed upon women that held his favor. She still disbelieved the fact that he didn't bring women to his bed.

Still, it continued to trouble her that she'd come to his attention. And it troubled her even more that she had found him so attractive. Even now, she could conjure up his image with amazing clarity: those clear golden amber eyes, so striking and deep-set, the silvery flowing hair crowned with those ears give to him by his youkai heritage, and that aura of effortless power. Given the equality that had existed in their village, Kagome had never before known anyone who set himself above all others, and furthermore, was _accepted_ as being superior. It seemed clear to her now that the failure of the tavern crowd to show him deference last night must be the result of his decision that they should not do so. Myoga and Keade, certainly two independent people, had displayed great humility towards him, bowing and curtsying.

She'd thought about her own behavior after she escaped from his presence last night. It undoubtedly would have been much better if she'd shown the proper deference toward him herself. But she hadn't, and a dangerous stubbornness surfaced even now to tell her that she never would, either.

She pondered what to do about the gift. Should she attempt to return it, thereby signaling that she did not find his attentions welcome? Or would that only stir him to further attempts to seduce her? It was unlikely that he'd ever been rebuffed before, and she knew how some men reacted to such a challenge.

Perhaps she should simply send him a polite note, thanking him for the gift but at the same time wording it in such a way as to send a subtle message that she was not interested in becoming one of his bed partners.

She set the open box on the table and drank the rest of her tea as she thought about it. Then there was another tap at the door and she realized it would be Keade. They had planned to go to the market together this morning.

When the older woman came in, she spotted the jewelry box immediately.

"I saw Lord Inuyasha's servant come back here," she said, clearly caught between her curiosity and a desire not to seem to pry. Her eyes kept straying to the box, then moving away quickly.

"Yes. He came with a gift from Lord Inuyasha." Kagome said, picking up the jewelry to show it to her.

After Keade had exclaimed over it, Kagome told her of her dilemma. "I appreciate his generosity, but-" she shrugged.

Keade began to laugh. "So the Lordship has finally met his match, has he? Well, don't worry about it, dearie. He's not likely to bother ye." Then she stopped and frowned.

"'Course I can't recollect any other woman who's said no to him, usually it is the other way round. But he's a good man, for all his love of war."

In the end, Kagome decided to put away the jewels and try to forget about them. She made several halfhearted attempts to write him a note, but gave up when she couldn't find a way to thank him and still discourage him.

During the next week, she kept expecting him to return to the tavern, but he didn't come again- and after that, she relaxed, deciding that he must surely have far too much on his mind to concern himself with a tavern singer, not to mention too many other, more women to pursue.

Kagome continued to be plagued by the dreams each night, although she no longer went outside to stare up at the tower, however drawn to it she felt. It began to seem as though she could almost recall those dreams- or parts of them. They didn't seem threatening, instead, there was a seductive quality to them.

The only thing she could recall clearly from those dreams was a strange, tall object, a sort of cylinder, but one that had sharp edges with a round sort of circular top. It always appeared in that unnatural blue-white color she'd seen that night in the tower. And it seemed, too, that something moved deep within it the circular part, although she was less certain about that.

Slowly, she came to the near-certainty that the strange object must be in the tower, and that it might well be the symbol of her people's power that the captain had spoken of. But she was of a practical nature, and decided that even if she could gain access to the tower, which seemed highly unlikely, what would it matter? She might be Ceadda, but she had no more magic in her than did any other Rhea.

And then came a day when she began to realize how wrong she was.

**)O( **

After a long cold spell, it was a sunny, almost warm morning. Market was held twice weekly and in bad weather, the vendors set up a crowded shop in a large building near the center of the city. But on this day, they had opted to take the market outdoors again.

The market area lay at the base of the steep hill that was topped by the keep, in an area of rather narrow, winding side streets. Kagome and Keade set out early, before the market had actually opened, in the hopes of finding a good selection of merchandise. There were few people on the narrow, twisting street they took downhill and it was bordered on both sides by tall buildings or stone walls.

They were about halfway down when they heard noises and shouts from above- and turned to see a horseless cart careening down the hill toward them, spilling its contents as it thundered along. As they watched, frozen with shock, it bounced off one wall and then another, then headed straight for them.

There was no place to go! They could not hope to outrun the speeding cart and high walls on both sides prevented them from getting out of its way. Keade cried out, and Kagome opened her mouth to scream as well- but what come out was unrecognizable to her.

Her arm rose of its own volition and her fingers moved rapidly in the air. Something surged through her, tingling along her nerve endings. For one brief instant, she saw the approaching cart through a blinding blue-white light.

Then it was over and the cart had rolled harmlessly past them to crash into the wall farther down. Kagome stood there transfixed, not at all certain what had happened. That force that had rushed through her began to dissipate slowly, leaving her trembling slightly.

Confused, she turned to Keade, to find the older woman staring at her, white-faced. Kagome reached out, then drew her hand back when Keade seemed to shrink away from her.

"Keade? What happened? Were you hurt?"

Keade shook her head slowly, then reached out cautiously to touch Kagome on the arm. "No, dearie, I'm fine."

Her gaze moved off to a point behind Kagome, who turned to see the two men who'd been chasing the cart standing a short distance away, staring at her in openmouthed amazement. As soon as she turned their way, they mumbled apologies and hurried off to deal with the wrecked cart.

The two women went on to the market. Even though Keade made an effort to seem her normal, cheerful self, Kagome could tell that she was deeply troubled. It might have been nothing more than the aftershock of their near-accident, but Kagome kept wondering if Keade had seen or sensed that strangeness that had come over her.

That evening, Kagome was still trying to put together a complete picture of what had happened in those moments when it had seemed certain that the cart would strike them. After the boys had gone off to bed, she sat by the fire and tried to reconstruct the scene- but she was interrupted by Keade's familiar tap on the door.

Kagome invited her in, noting that the woman seemed very grave and distracted. She gave her a cup of tea and Keade took a sip, then set it aside and twisted her hands nervously in her lap. When she spoke, it was with a hesitancy that Kagome had never before heard from her.

"Dearie, I been thinking on this all day, and I got to talk to ye." She paused, staring at Kagome. "D'ye know what happened out there?"

"You mean with the cart?" Kagome asked nervously.

Keade nodded solemnly. "Ye saved us, dearie. I don't know how ye did it- but I _do _know that ye saved us."

"But I didn't _do_ anything, Keade," Kagome protested, then added quietly, "At least I didn't _intend_ to do anything."

The old woman nodded again. "I though as much. I jest happened."

"What exactly happened?" Kagome asked, having decided that it was time to put her trust in this kind woman.

"Ye said something in a strange tongue, and then ye put up yer hand and, like, drew in the air." Keade stopped, then went on haltingly.

"I saw something like a light- a bluish sort of light- and it was comin' from yer fingers while they moved. And then the cart turned away from us."

Kagome was still for a very long time. All day, she had been seeking an explanation that would deny what Keade had just described. And now there could be no denial. She felt as though the very earth had shifted beneath her. A familiar, if not always safe, world had just been turned upside down, and she feared that it would never be righted again for her.

"Are ye Ceadda, child?" Keade asked softly.

Kagome hesitated for only a moment, then nodded. And after that, it all came pouring out: how she had happened to come here, the dreams, the light in the tower, the vision of that mysterious object, and her powers.

"I didn't seek those powers," she told Keade, but even as she spoke, she thought about how it had felt. "Instead, it seemed that they've found _me_."

She sighted. "I'm afraid that Lord Inuyasha may suspect I'm Ceadda," she finished, explaining the wording in his note.

"Aye, it's possible. Nothing much gets past him. And he's near certain to hear what has happened today."

"He is?" Kagome frowned, thinking for a moment that Keade meant to tell him. Then she remembered the two men and the looks on their faces.

"Those men must've seen what I saw," Keade told her. "And they'll be talkin' to everyone. It'll get back to Lord Inuyasha at some point."

Kagome sat there frozen with fear: fear for powers she didn't want but apparently had, and fear for what would happen if Lord Inuyasha found out."

"I must leave," she said. "Souta and I will be in terrible danger when he finds out."

Keade got up and came over to her to hug her. "No, dearie, you canna leave in the middle of the winter. T'would be going to your deaths to leave Domna now. Myoga and I will protect ye, if'n it comes to that. We've both family and friends who can help. But I think ye judge Lord Inuyasha to hard. He's not a murderous man."

Kagome was grateful beyond words for Keade's kindness- but she was not reassured. Lord Inuyasha might not be inclined towards murder, but he was even less inclined to tolerate anyone he might view as being a threat to his power and his plan of becoming King of the Rheas: the first king since the days of the Ceadda.

Later, when Keade had gone, Kagome continued to sit there thinking about her situation. Was there any way she could prevent a recurrence of those powers? Had they surfaced only because her life was in danger? If so, it might never happen again.

But then she thought again about how she'd felt- about that wonderful surge of power and that sense of completeness, as though she'd just discovered a lost part of herself. And she wondered if the powers had come unbidden, after all.

**)O(**

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_**Review responses:**_

**animeturtle932** **- **Thank you for your wonderful review. I am glad you like story. :)

**ramzgurl** - It is great to hear from those who enjoy it. I thank you for your lovely review.

**tsunami-chan** - (giggles) No, there is no triangle. Personally, I am kinda on the bored side of those myself. And Inu-boy is chasing Kags cause lets face it, he's a king. He is use to getting what he wants, and Kags isn't about to roll over for anyone. LOL, sorry had to use the pun. Glad you caught the two part attraction. It will come into play later on, and was hinted (without Inu exactly knowning) earlier too. But don't worry, everything will tie in later. :)

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_I keep just typing away at this story. (giggles) I hope you are enjoying reading this as much as I enjoy writing it._

_Brightest of Blessings,_

_Lady Banshee 999_


	11. Chapter Ten

_**Disclaimer I don't own much. Of course this means Inuyasha and his crew.**_

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**Of Fates Unknown**

**_Chapter Ten_**

"I questioned them carefully myself, Inuyasha. And they seemed to be good, solid men."

"So you believe them," Inuyasha said after a moment.

"Aye, I do. Like I said before, there's always been something about her that's made me suspicious. Now I'm certain as I can be that she's Ceadda."

"And the two men? What did they think?"

"They thought so, too. They'd already heard about her playing. Apparently, many people think she's Ceadda, but they say it only among themselves, in whispers."

"You said that the men thought she seemed confused?"

Captain Miroku Manning nodded. "That's how they described it- as though she didn't really know what she was doing. Maybe she didn't"

"And you're sure that there are no more… like her in the city?"

"If there are, she's staying away from them. I've had men following her ever time she goes out alone, and keeping an eye on her cottage as well on the nights when she isn't playing. I also found some of our men who'd met her one the road here, and they said it was just her and the boys."

Inuyasha drummed his clawed fingers on the wooden arm of his chair. What he wanted to do was to bring her up here and get the truth out of her. But he didn't think he could intimidate her very easily- with or without her Ceadda powers. There was just something about her…

"Inuyasha," Miroku said, breaking into his frustrated thoughts. "Do you think she really is Ceadda?"

Inuyasha nodded. There was no use denying it now, and he needed to take his old friend into his confidence.

"You've been thinking it all along, haven't you?" Miroku asked.

"Yes, but I wasn't sure."

"Then what do we do about her?"

"For now- nothing. Just continue to keep an eye on her. And try to put down any rumors."

"I'll try- but the rumors are already there." He shook his head in wonder. "Ceadda. It's almost like having a fairy or elf suddenly appear."

"The difference," said Inuyasha, "is that fairies and elves would have no claim on this place."

After the captain departed, Inuyasha once again got the key and went up to the tower. He felt that prickling uneasiness this time even before he had reached the top of the winding staircase. And when he finally stood before it, he knew it was glowing with more than sunlight.

Hesitantly, he put out a hand to touch its surface- then drew back quickly. Not only was it warm to the touch; it seemed now to be vibrating slightly.

Inuyasha was not one to give into fear. He'd faced death many times. But he knew that what he was feeling now was indeed fear: fear of the unknown- and perhaps unknowable.

And as he left the tower, he wondered it she too might be feeling that fear, and what it meant if she'd known nothing of those powers.

**)O(**

Fear clutched at Kagome when she heard the imperious knock at her door. For days now, she'd been expecting soldiers to come from Lord Inuyasha and take her prisoner. But the man who stood there was not a soldier. It took a moment for her to remember that he was a city official of some sort who came regularly to the tavern.

"Good day, ma'am," he said, favoring her with a slight bow. "I've come to ask you to do us the great honor of playing at the New Year festival next week."

"Oh," Kagome said, trying not to let her relief show. She'd been hearing for days now about the festival, which had also been celebrated in her village. "Yes, of course. The honor will be mine."

"You'll be paid, of course," he hastened to assure her. "Lord Inuyasha provides for all the performers."

Then he made another quick bow, thanked her and bustled off. Only after he had gone did she realize how nervous he'd seemed. She closed the door with a sigh. It was a reaction that was becoming all to common.

New had spread around her village with great speed, but she hadn't really expected that here in at this large city. However, within days after the cart incident, people had begun to come to her, mostly at night. None of them had asked if she were truly Ceadda; instead, they said that they had come to seek her help, always for some ailment or disability that didn't respond to the city's physicians and healers.

They were nervous in her presence, as the official had been- but still they came, hoping for a Ceadda miracle that she couldn't provide. With Keade's help, she had quickly prepared a few herbal potions, but it soon become apparent that was not what they sought from her.

That last night, a woman had come, carrying a lame child, when Kagome had been forced to say that there was nothing she could do, the woman had spoken out in desperation.

"Can ye not cure with the laying on of hands, then? I'd thought ye might. 'Tis said that the Ceadda could do that."

"Perhaps they could- but _I_ can't," Kagome had replied, neither affirming nor denying the woman's statement.

And after they had gone, she wondered if perhaps she should have tried. What a wondrous thing it would be to be able to heal the lame. In the years she'd worked at her mother's side, she'd found nothing more painful and frustrating than being forced to tell someone that nothing could be done- especially where children were concerned.

There'd been no further manifestations of her supposed power, but she could not deny, however much she wanted to, that she _felt_ different. And the dreams had stopped. She'd had no more since that episode with the cart. She began going outside at night again to stare up at the tower, but she saw no lights.

The absence of the dreams was somehow even more troubling than their presence. What could it mean? Was it possible that she'd unwittingly crossed some invisible threshold? Were those powers now within her, simply waiting for her to call upon them deliberately? Could she actually have become a sorceress? All these unanswerable questions tormented her farm more than even the dreams had.

And what about Lord Inuyasha? He surely must have heard about the incident with the cart by now; everyone in the city seemed to know. Had he dismissed it as being the ravings of some drunkards? Or was he even now laying plans to have her killed?

**)O( **

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_**Review responses:**_

**Yume no Mei** – Hello again. :) LOL, that is ok. You are allowed to say the same thing more then once. ;) I am glad you enjoy the details. I too enjoy a story were you feel like your right there.

Right now, my favorite for detail that I enjoy waiting for is called "_**A Cross of Blades**_" by **_Striking Falcon_**. Granted it is both a cross-over (Final Fantasy VIII/ Inuyasha) and a Sesshy/Kags fic. But Striking Falcon has just this way of creating a wonderful story. Also too, I am a big fan of F.F. and have never seen this type of cross-over done before. Grated I am not normally a Sess/Kag fan, but the story is just so well written that I can't help not to be. (Also, I enjoyed her Unexpected Alliances trilogy.)

Anyways, it is good to hear from you again.

Brightest of Blessings,

Lady Banshee 999


	12. Chapter Eleven

_**Disclaimer I don't own much. Of course this means Inuyasha and his crew.**_

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**Of Fates Unknown**

**_Chapter Eleven_**

Later that day, she told Keade and Myoga about the invitation to play at the festival. Myoga nodded sagely.

"Aye, I knew they would ask ye. But I though ye'd refuse, being as it means going up to the keep."

"It does?" Kagome realized that she hadn't even thought about where it might be held.

"There're all sorts of games and feasts in the city as well, but they'll be wanting ye to play at the great banquet Lord Inuyasha gives each year," Keade told her. "Certain people are always invited, but others are drawn by lot each year. Myoga and I always go. It's a wonderful party. Lord Inuyasha spares no expense."

Kagome was of two minds about this news. On the one hand, she definitely did not want to come to the attention of Lord Inuyasha again. But on the other hand, this could well be her opportunity to try to gain access to the tower. There would be so many people about that she just might be able to slip up there. The fact that it was kept locked somehow didn't trouble her. She just knew that if she could get close to it, she would be able to get in.

As it happened, though, her first visit to the great keep came even before the festival.

Captain Manning had been absent from her last evening at the tavern, and when she'd inquired after him, one of the men told her that his wife had given birth to a daughter.

Then, two days after she'd accepted the invitation to play at the festival, the captain appeared at her door early in the evening. She congratulated him and he beamed like any proud father, then said that he'd come to ask a favor of her.

"Of course," she said, hoping that nothing was wrong with the baby. Would he actually come to ask her for help?

"Sango has heard all about your playing and she'd like very much to hear you. She doesn't think she'll be feeling well enough to attend the festival and it will be some time before she could come to the tavern. Would you consider coming up to the keep to play for her?"

"I'd be happy to," Kagome assured him. "Would you like me to come now? I'm not playing tonight at the tavern."

"We had hoped that you could," he smiled gratefully.

"Then just let me see if Keade can keep an eye on the boys."

"You're welcome to bring them along if you like."

"Thank you, but no. They already have too many excuses to avoid their schoolwork." And she did not want to take Souta to the keep for any reason. She couldn't believe that the captain had any ulterior motive to his invitation, but she was unwilling to risk Souta's life.

Keade promptly invited the boys over to her house and Kagome set off with the captain. He apologized for not having brought horses, telling her that after being kept in meetings all day, he'd felt like walking. It was in fact a beautiful evening. Several inches of snow had fallen earlier in the day, covering the dirty layer beneath with a glistening white beneath a bright moon.

They walked slowly up the hill, with the captain kindly shortening his stride to make it more comfortable for her. Above them, the keep loomed darkly, its tall tower framed by stars. Captain Manning, who insisted that she should call him Miroku, talked of the festival.

"Lord Inuyasha is very pleased that you'll be playing," he told her.

"I'm honored," she replied, then quickly asked about the other entertainment.

And all the while, she waited nervously for him to ask if she were truly Ceadda. She was sure he must know about the cart incident. Myoga said it was well-known that the captain had his spies throughout the city, and that he was the eyes and ears of Lord Inuyasha, as well as being his closest friend.

Even so, there was something about Miroku Manning that inspired trust on Kagome's part. She had no doubt that if it came down to it, his loyalties lay with his lord and friend, but she still believed that he would do what he could to protect her- and it he had Inuyasha's ear, that could be quite a lot.

They passed through the heavily guarded gates of the keep, and Kagome was astonished to see that it appeared even larger that she'd supposed. Miroku began pointing out various buildings to her, including the huge garrison. But they were walking in another direction: towards the keep itself.

"You don't live in the garrison?" she asked.

"No, Senior officers live in the keep itself. In fact, Sango and I live in the apartment she grew up in. She's cousin to Inuyasha, from his mothers side."

After the forbidding stone exterior, Kagome was totally unprepared for the rich warmth of the interior that was lit by many handsome brass oil lamps. Beautiful old tapestries covered the walls and the furnishings were of richly carved dark wood, many with cushions that echoed the deep, vibrant colors of the tapestries. She paused before one huge tapestry.

"They're Ceadda," the captain said. "Nearly everything here is. They were very skilled artisans. Some said that their magic extended even to their craft."

Kagome merely nodded, but she felt a surge of great pride, mixed with more than a little anger. This should be _hers_. She had far more right to it than Inuyasha did.

They went up stairs and down long corridors and up more stairs. She had been trying to keep her sense of direction so that she could determine just how close to the tower they were. But after the fourth or fifth turn, she had to give up.

Then they reached yet another intersecting hallway, and without conscious intent, Kagome turned left. Only when Miroku told her they were going in the other direction did she realize that something had simply felt _right_ to her about taking the other hallway. She stopped momentarily confused, but if he noticed, he made no comment, and she followed him to his apartment.

They entered a richly appointed room where a fire blazed cheerfully. A very attractive woman sat before it, holding a well-wrapped infant. And standing next to the hearth was Lord Inuyasha.

Miroku introduced his wife, Sango, then took his tiny daughter from her and showed her proudly to Kagome. "We're still arguing about a name," he chuckled.

"So I am told," Lord Inuyasha put in dryly. "At this rate, Miroku, she'll be in school before she leans her own name. For what it's worth, I cast my vote with Sango."

Miroku grinned at Kagome, "That's because Sango's choice is to call her Epona, after their grandmother."

Kagome, who'd been admiring the beautiful child, looked up sharply at the mention of that name, drawing questioning looks from all present.

"Epona was my mother's name," she said softly. "It was a favorite name in her family and one she nearly gave to me."

"Well, that does it Miroku," Sango announced. "You're outvoted."

He affected a bow. "Very well. I give in graciously. After all, as you've pointed out endlessly, I was the one who named your son. And speaking of him, where is he?"

"Sent to bed early. He was caught sneaking out of his room again to avoid his studies."

Kagome laughed softly, "Now _that's_ a familiar story. Shippou and Souta have done the same thing countless times."

A young maid appeared and relieved Miroku of his daughter, who had fallen asleep. Inuyasha addressed Kagome for the first time. "I cam to see my cousin and the child, but I would like to stay to hear you play."

"Of course," she said, seating herself and taking out her lythra. She wondered if he had in fact just happened to he here- and what he would have done if she'd refused his request to stay.

His presence unnerved her, but fortunately she was quickly able to lose herself in her music, again deliberately choosing the most difficult pieces.

Sango was warm with her praise. "You play even better then I would have guessed, Kagome." Then, after a glance at Inuyasha, she said, "Our grandmother played the lythra, but not so well, even though we thought at the time that she played beautifully."

"My grandmother played, too," Kagome told her. "But my mother had no talent for it. Still, she had her own talent. She was a healer."

"Do you have those talents as well?" Sango asked as Kagome thought she saw Lord Inuyasha become more attentive.

She nodded. "She taught me about herbs, although I'm not yet as skilled as she was. And I've been unable to find all the herbs I need. Perhaps I'll find them in the spring."

"The physician has given me a potion to help me regain my strength," Sango told her, then turned to her husband. "Will you fetch it, dear? I'd like Kagome to tell me if it's what she would prescribe."

The captain obligingly went to get it, and when he returned, Kagome unstopped the bottle and sniffed, then nodded. "I believe it's the same thing my mother used. I imagine it's much the same everywhere."

They talked a while longer, and Kagome was always conscious of Lord Inuyasha's gaze upon her. He had taken a seat that put him just out of her line of vision, but she didn't need to know that he was watching her. He joined easily in the casual conversation, however, and it was very obvious that this relationship with Miroku and Sango was a very close one.

Finally, Sango became visible tired and Kagome suggested that she should take her leave. After profuse thanks from her hostess and an expressed hope that she would return soon to visit, Kagome left with Miroku and Lord Inuyasha. When they reached the intersection where Kagome had taken a wrong turn, Inuyasha bade them good night and disappeared in the direction she had almost taken earlier.

This time, she made a very determined effort to pay attention to the twists and turns, and when they emerged at last into the great courtyard and she could see the tower again, she was virtually certain that the hallway she had mistakenly taken led in that direction.

The boys had been put to bed at the Sheppards' and she left them their, then returned to her cottage and her thoughts. She felt strangely out of sorts, almost enervated, and realized belatedly that she'd begun to feel that way almost from the moment they'd left the keep. The difference was so subtle, though- almost subtle enough for her to deny its existence altogether.

She thought about Sango's invitation to return and how it might afford her access to the tower even if she couldn't manage to get there during the festival. Not even the fact that Lord Inuyasha's own quarters apparently lay in that direction could deter her now. She _must_ get there, just as she must breathe and eat and sleep.

Besides, she told herself, she liked Sango. Until meeting her this evening, she'd forgotten the simple pleasure of having a friend. Myoga and Keade were more like surrogate parents, and although she loved them dearly, it would still be wonderful to have Sango as a friend- even if she was the cousin of Lord Inuyasha.

Inuyasha. It all came down to him in the end, she thought angrily. But he'd seemed different this night- more at ease, despite his unrelenting attention to her. He'd displayed a dry humor and a gentle affection for his cousin and all of it had seemed very real.

But she dared not let herself believe he was harmless. However pleasant he could be when he chose, he still ruled this land that had once belonged to her people. She resented his power over her. She resented her own fear of him. And she was undeniably attracted to him as a male. It was not a comfortable situation.

**)O( **

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**Epona** Celtic Mother-Goddess and the patroness of horses (This one is very near and dear to my heart. Both because my one grandmother is of Celtic background and also because I have spent my whole life around horses.)

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_**Review responses:**_

**Lady of Imladris**- I am glad you are enjoying it, and I am trying to do just that. :)

**xSilverShadowsx** - Thank you. And you just got to keep reading. Heck the story has just started. :P Can't give anything way just yet. ;)

**Amanda** - Thanks. (giggles) Don't get into trouble by not doing homework. I am on my kids cases right now to make sure they do theirs. (sigh) This is the very first AU that I have ever done. But I do have at least three others that I have in mind once this is done. But I am also trying to redo my other two stories that I have already started some time ago. Also I have a crossover that is Inu/Highlander that I am in the works of doing. But that one is a sort of when I have time I get to it, sort of thing. To many things and not enought time. Besides after about two hours straight of typing, my hands start killing me. :S LOL!

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_Well, the chapters just keep coming and coming. LOL! Don't forget to let me know if you like what you have read so far._

_Brightest of Blessings,_

_Lady Banshee 999_


	13. Chapter Twelve

_**Disclaimer I don't own much. Of course this means Inuyasha and his crew.****

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**Of Fates Unknown**

**_Chapter Twelve_**

The city was overfilled with gaiety. Even the weather had cooperated. Kaede told Kagome that it often happened at this time: a false spring in the midst of winter. Domna's population was swelled by the arrival of people from the outlying villages and farms, who were taking advantage of the break in the weather to travel here for the festivities.

There were games for the children and sports competitions for the men. Vendors outdid themselves with foods and crafts, their numbers augmented by the farmers and villagers. People who had previously hurried about their business, eager to return to the warmth of their homes, now lingered to talk and laugh and dance in the streets wherever musicians had gathered.

But the event that outshone all others, at the least for Kagome, Shippou, and Souta, was the nightly display of fireworks at the keep. They'd never even imagined such things to be possible. So they both stood in awe as fiery rockets zigzagged into the night sky from their trails crisscrossing as they streaked upwards.

Myoga explained that the rockets largely burned themselves out before falling to earth again, leaving only a small cone to drop from the sky. Children who found these cones could present them at the keep and claim prizes.

Souta and Shippou waited eagerly for one to fall into their little yard, and then, when none did, begged to be allowed to search the streets. Kagome finally allowed them to go in the company of the Sheppards' grandchildren, but they still returned empty handed.

On the second night, however, just as they were about to go out into the streets again, they heard something strike the paved stones on the path that led from the tavern back to the cottages. They hurried over to discover a small, charred cone, still trailing wisps of smoke. After waiting impatiently for it to cool, Souta picked it up triumphantly.

Kagome had assumed that he would have to wait until morning to claim his prize, but Kaede said that the guards at the keep would give it to them now, and both boys took off eagerly with the Sheppards' grandchildren.

Kagome was playing that evening at the tavern, but until she saw them both come in with Kaede, she was unable to concentrate on her music. It made her very nervous to think of her brother having any connections at all with the keep, even during this festive time.

When she took her break from playing she was surprised to see both boys eagerly showing her their prizes. When she asked how they both came to get a gift, they explained that when they went up to the keep the guard asked who found the cone, and they said they both did. And when asked who got the gift they both pointed to the other boy and said he does. The guard was so charmed with their response he gave both boys a gift for their selflessness towards friends.

Souta received a set of carved wooden pieces that could be used to construct various things. The set was quite large and would provide him many hours of fun. Shippou received a set of beautifully crafted spinning tops that were painted with leafs. He said these were great because he could use them with some types of fox magic. Both gifts were well crafted and looked quite costly. Apparently Kaede had been right when she'd said that Lord Inuyasha spared no expense for the festival.

Of course, she thought sourly, he _does_ have a lot of gold: Ceadda gold, stolen from her people by his murderous father.

The boys also announced that instead of being a sailor, they rather be solders instead. The guards had apparently showed them around the garrison and they became fascinated by their uniforms and weaponry.

Kagome barely managed to keep her silence- but just barely. The thought of either one of them one day fighting Inuyasha's war angered her beyond reason.

**)O( **

Kagome scrutinized her reflection in the mirror. Her cottage did not boast such an amenity, so she had come over to Kaede's to see how her new dress looked. It was perfect, she thought: modestly high-necked and quite plain, but made of a wonderfully soft, rich wool in a deep ruby shade that set off her flawless skin and her shining black curls.

Kaede made appreciative sounds, then said, "I know ye said ye dinna want to wear those jewels Lord Inuyasha gave ye, but dearie, they'd look just so fine with that dress."

Kagome nodded. She'd been thinking the same thing herself.

"And his Lordship will prob'ly expect ye to wear them," Kaede added for good measure.

That was also true, Kagome though- and it was for that reason that she didn't want to wear them. On the other hand, though _not_ wearing them might make it appear that she knew they were Ceadda was afraid to be seen in them.

"I'm going to wear them," she announced to Kaede. What difference did it make, after all? She was sure that Inuyasha must have already guessed her identity, so perhaps it was time to issue a challenge of sorts. She couldn't try to avoid the matter forever, could she?

Lately, it seemed that she'd been chafing against her own cowering fears. Such fear did not come naturally to her, and she'd had quite enough of it lately. But there were times recently when she felt an almost irrational urge to challenge Inuyasha's right to dominate her life.

Somewhat bemused by all this courage, she returned to the cottage and put on the necklace and bracelet. "Ceadda jewelry and a Ceadda lythra," she murmured to herself. "Perhaps I should just add a sign pinned to my back."

Then she put on her beautiful new fur-trimmed cloak and pulled on the matching fur mittens, and after gathering up her lythra, went out to meet the waiting Sheppard. The boys had been left in the care of their son and daughter-in-law for the night.

By the time they passed through the gates of the keep, Kagome was viewing this evening with a strange sense of fatalism. She stared up at the dark tower, and for one brief blink of an eye, thought that she saw a soft glow. She looked quickly around her, but it was apparent that no one else had seen it. The guards were busy checking invitations and issuing instructions, and the other guests were all greeting each other and chatting.

She looked up again, but the tower remained dark. Still, she was certain that it had glowed briefly, because she felt an answering glow within herself, a sort of rush of warmth and energy not unlike that she'd experienced when the cart had threatened them.

And she felt too that connectedness with the tower, that allure that always drew her gaze to it and whispered to her body to follow as well. How she wanted to get up there! But the practical side of her nature told her that she could not take undue risks. There would be other opportunities, and besides, as much as she wanted to see what the tower held, she was also very fearful of what she'd find there.

She had hoped to be seated with Myoga and Kaede, but those hopes were dashed moments after they entered the great hall. How the officious servants spotted her in the crowd that was streaming in, she couldn't imagine, but she was quickly whisked away to be seated at the long head table on a raised dais at one end of the huge room.

She managed an appropriate response to this unwanted honor and took some small comfort from the fact that at least she was nowhere near the ornate chair that was obviously meant for Lord Inuyasha. In fact, they would be completely invisible to each other.

But it was also clear that any hopes she'd had of sneaking quietly away to find the tower had been stymied by this seating arrangement. While Inuyasha might not be able to see her, everyone else in the hall would.

She quickly discovered that those around her were also performers, and that they were always honored this way. There were several minstrels, a juggler, a small troupe of actors and a group of dancers. An imperious looking member of the keep's staff came to tell them the order of their performances, and Kagome learned that she would be the last. That was the final blow to her plan to seek out the tower, since she couldn't be certain just when her presence would be required.

Those around her all seemed to know who she was, and they tended to treat her in one of two ways. Either they showed her a reverence that some might find flattering, or they seemed to shrink away from her and nervously avoid eye contact. She'd already seen both reactions before.

She didn't realize that she'd grown accustomed to the turmoil in the hall until it quickly began to quiet down. Then there was much scraping of chairs as the assemblage stood.

Inuyasha entered alone, striding down the length of the hall. Kagome drew in her breath sharply. On the two previous occasions where she'd seen him, he'd been dressed richly but simply. Tonight, however, he was resplendent- every inch the lord in a pure white uniform bedecked with much gold braid that accentuated his wide shoulders, and the customary golden dog icon.

Suspended on a heavy gold chain around his neck was a large disc that drew her full attention. This time, she drew in her breath so sharply that she felt those around her stirring curiously. And Inuyasha chose that moment to look her way as he approached the dais.

The bitter bile of anger arose in her. She'd never seen the Val-Ceadda, of course- but she'd heard it described many timers. It was the symbol that had been worn for centuries by the elected rulers of her people.

After their flight, those who remained alive decided against electing new rulers until they could once again live in their true home. And over the long years of exile, the Ceadda had always spoken with longing of a time when they might be able to return to Domna and once again place a king and queen on the throne.

She stared at the disc, her hands clenched in helpless fury. How dare this man, whose father had murdered her people- who wasn't Ceadda- wear it! For one brief moment when their eyes met, she was sure he must be wearing it this night to challenge her. But then, as he stepped up to the dais and turned away from her, reason prevailed. Obviously, he must wear it for all formal occasions. No one else was remarking on it.

Before taking his seat, Inuyasha bade welcome to the assemblage and gave the traditional greetings to the New Year. When she had met him before, she had been somewhat surprised at how softly he spoke. His voice was deep and had an almost hypnotic quality to it. And tonight, even though he raised it to be heard throughout the silent room, that same quality remained.

When he had finished his brief speech, the crowd broke into a huge roar of applause and whistles and shouts. Kagome did not join in, which caused a few more glances to be sent her way by those around her.

The feast was the most lavish she'd ever seen and was served with almost unbelievable efficiency given the numbers gathered in the hall. Dishes familiar to her were better prepared than she'd ever had, and there were many wonderful new ones as well. She was still too angry to do justice to this feast, but no one remarked on that, since as performers, none of them were overindulging, either.

Course after course was brought to the tables, with intervals allowed between them for proper digestion. The wine flowed freely, but Kagome saw no one becoming drunk and was reminded of Kaede's remark that Inuyasha didn't allow his men to drink heavily. Few people in her village overindulged, either, but she'd seen enough on her journey here to know that drunkenness was a very common state of affairs in most places.

By the time the long meal was over and the performances had begun, Kagome had calmed down enough to wonder at the strength of her anger. She'd never been a person given to black rages. Neither had she believed herself to be Domna with revenge in mind. She had come here only because it was home- and the only place she could think of to go after the destruction of her village.

And yet it seemed now that the anger had been building within her almost from the day of her arrival.

'What is happening to me?' she asked herself. At first, I though I wanted to discover the source of Ceadda power only as a matter of curiosity, or perhaps because I felt that I owed it to my people to learn our history. But now? What did she want now?

While she sat there wrestling uneasily with that question, the other performers sang and danced and otherwise entertained the appreciative audience. And then it was her turn.

A servant brought out an ornately carved, cushioned stool as she picked up her lythra and walked to the cleared space in the center of the room. She'd noticed that all the other performers had bowed or curtsied to Lord Inuyasha before commencing their acts. As she walked to the center of the suddenly hushed hall, she decided that she would not acknowledge this man who had dared to wear the symbol of her people. Instead, she simply took her seat and began to play.

The lythra took on a magic that was felt not only by Kagome, but by all present. Her fingers had never been so nimble and the sound had never been so pure. Much later, when she thought back on this night, she became certain that magic had touched it.

When she looked up occasionally, the audience had become a blur of faces. She couldn't see even those closest to her clearly. And yet she was untroubled by it. And throughout her performance, it seemed that there were strange echoes in the great hall, or that other musicians were playing as well, the sounds of their lythras weaving in and out of her own music.

She had no idea how long she'd played, but her fingers finally began to ache from the effort, and the trancelike state faded. She finished with a brief song of her own composition, then stood to a silence that went on for many seconds before it was broken by thunderous applause that finally brought her completely back to herself.

She bowed slightly, as she always did after her performances at the tavern, turning this way and that to acknowledge the continuing applause. When she turned his way, she found Inuyasha standing and applauding like everyone else. Their eyes met briefly, but she could read nothing in his expression.

She returned to her place at the table, wanting only to go home and try to understand what had just happened. She felt utterly drained of emotion and almost physically weak. When a servant brought her a glass of wine, she drank thirstily.

And within moments, she collapsed onto the floor.

**)O(

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_**Review responses:**_

**Nat** – Thank you. I am glad you like it.

**tsunami-chan** – LOL, yeah, I know how it is when you get attached to a story and hate to wait to see what happens next. To tell you the truth about the whole Miroku grabbing thing… well, I sort of … um… forgot. (bangs head on table) Don't ask me how. Cause I really don't know. I love the grab-happy monk too. But I think he works well for this since he and Sango are already married. LOL, could see her threaten to cut him off from any evening time activities if he didn't quit doing it too! LOL!!!

**Bluecabbage** – I am happy you are enjoying the story. I do so love that era. (sigh) If I could afford to live anywhere it would be in a castle. I have tried to proofread this to the best of my abilities… (and my micro. word spell check too. Which isn't saying much due to it going nuts with the slang.) But the trouble is my spelling isn't all that great to begin with. I see where beta testers are so great to have. They are able to look at things with a fresh set of eyes that are able to see things that one misses.

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Thanks everyone for your reviews! And now I am off to E-bay. I am in search of a beta tester… Usually they have everything there for sale… **:P** Yeah, right... like I can afford to pay attention let alone purchase anything. (rolls eyes) 

Brightest of Blessings,

Lady Banshee 999


	14. Chapter Thirteen

_**Disclaimer I don't own much. Of course this means Inuyasha and his crew.****

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**Of Fates Unknown**

**_Chapter Thirteen_**

"Are you _certain_ that she hasn't been harmed by the potion?" Inuyasha asked, staring at the lifeless form on the bed.

"Quite certain, m'lord. I gave her only enough to put her to sleep. She'll sleep the night through and awaken in the morning with something very much like a hangover from wine."

Inuyasha continued to star at her. Her wide, dark eyes were closed and he was robbed of their impact, but that was probably for the best, since he could still remember the anger he'd seen in them earlier. His gaze dropped to the Ceadda jewelry he'd given her, and he wondered if she knew they'd once belonged to her people. Probably she did. He was sure she'd recognized the Val- Ceadda he wore.

"Her friends are waiting outside," he told the physician. "You know what to tell them?"

The man nodded, "As we agreed, m'lord. The strain of her performance coupled with too much wine- and perhaps a belated case of the sickness so prevalent recently."

They went to the small anteroom where Myoga and Kaede waited fearfully, and Inuyasha stood there quietly wile his physician lied. He thought the Sheppards would accept it; the man was known to be the finest in the land. When he had finished and Inuyasha saw the relief on their faces, he hastened to assure them that he was assuming personal responsibility for her care and would send them word tomorrow about her condition.

After they had left, Inuyasha followed the physician back into the bedchamber as he checked on her once again and then departed, saying that he would send his assistant to stay the night with her, even though it wasn't really necessary.

Inuyasha remained behind, unable to take his eyes off her, her scent filling his nose. His plan had succeeded, although he had no idea how long he could hope to keep her here or how he was going to persuade her to tell him the truth.

His mind drifted back to her performance. If he'd had any remaining doubts about her origins, they'd been swept away in those moments. Despite the problems it presented, he'd felt relieved to know that others had heard what he'd heard and felt what he's felt. Ceadda magic had been set loose in his keep.

More than once in the past few hours, the voice of reason had whispered to him that she should be killed. He wasn't a cruel hanyou, but he'd never had any compunction about dispatching his enemies before- and this woman could not be anything but an enemy. And yet he could not do it.

Hearing a sound, he turned to see Miroku walk up and look towards Kagome. Inuyasha knew that both Miroku and Sango were fond of her and wondered if that was going to cause him problems.

"Is she alright?" Miroku asked.

Inuyasha nodded. The captain knew what had happened, although his wife did not. "Tadiz was careful. She'll suffer no more in the morning than those who had too much wine."

"No one who heard her play this night has any doubt that she's Ceadda," Miroku said softly, his eyes remaining on the still form on the bed. "Many thought they heard ghost instruments being played."

Suddenly, a possible plan occurred to Inuyasha. He smiled, appreciating the irony of using her own talents to keep her here.

"Do you think they fear or hate her?"

Miroku turned to him. "Many fear her at this point- but hatred? I think not."

"Still, fear can quickly turn to hate, can't it? Her life could be in danger."

"Aye," said Miroku slowly. "Although any who believe her to be Ceadda are likely to fear the consequences of attacking her. Still, it could be the excuse you seek."

"It could at that," Inuyasha smiled. "The Sheppards trust you. If you were to tell them that you fear for her safety-"

The captain nodded, although Inuyasha could see that he was deeply troubled.

"She'll come to no harm from me, Miroku," he stated. Then, after Miroku had gone, Inuyasha stood there for a moment longer, once again staring at her, while letting her scent once again consume him. But while he basked in her scent, the truth that he could not tell Miroku was that he too feared her. His clawed fingers unconsciously clutched the golden disc on his chest. Then the physician's assistant arrived and Inuyasha hurriedly left the room.

**)O(**

Kagome awoke in a confusion that quickly turned to dread. Her eyes refused to focus, with the result that the strange room was all the more frightening. Sensing the presence of someone else in the room, she remained still as her mind grappled with what had happened and where she could be. And she knew, somehow, that any movement at all would be painful.

Slowly, the memory of her performance came back to her: how it had seemed that her fingers had flown over the strings, plucking them with a delicacy and a speed far beyond anything she'd accomplished before. And hadn't there been something else as well- the sounds of other lythras weaving melodies around her own?

She left off those thoughts because they frightened her, and tried to concentrate instead on what had happened _after_ her performance. She remembered returning to her seat, feeling confused and drained. Then a servant had brought her some wine, which she'd drunk quickly.

And then what? No matter how hard she tried, nothing beyond that moment would come back to her.

She opened her eyes again- very carefully. The room was large and handsomely furnished, with rich wall hangings and heavy draperies at the windows. They were tightly drawn, so she had no way of knowing if it was night or day. The room was softly lit by oil lamps. The bed was big and comfortable and canopied with the same deep green fabric of the drapes.

She wanted desperately to deny the evidence before her bleary eyes, but she knew she must be in the keep. But why was she still here? What had happened to her after the performance?

Finally, she forced herself to turn her head slightly, knowing that someone was there and fearing that she would find a guard. She was sure that Inuyasha must have taken her prisoner somehow and her thoughts were already turning to Souta and Shippou. What had happened to them?

Even that small movement sent throbbing pain through her head and her eyes became unfocused again. But she could see movement- and then she heard a familiar voice.

"Kagome! You've awakened at last. I was about to go fetch, Tadiz."

"Who?" Kagome croaked from a parched throat. By now, she could vaguely make out Sango's form as the woman advanced to her bedside.

"Tadiz is our physician. He took care of you last night after you collapsed. Do you remember that?"

Sango poured her some water from a bedside pitcher. "Here, drink this before you talk. Tadiz said you would probably be very thirsty when you awoke."

Sango held the cup to her lips and Kagome managed to hold herself up to drink from it, although not without more pain. After drinking the full cup, she fell back against the pillows again.

"I collapsed?" she asked in a more normal voice. "I feel terrible. Everything hurts."

Sango murmured sympathetically and settled herself on the edge of the bed. "Yes, just after your performance. Everyone said that you played even better than before. Tadiz said it was probably the strain of the performance, plus the wine you drank afterwards. It seems that a servant gave you the stronger wine that some of the men were drinking, and you drank it very fast. He also said that you might have the winter sickness everyone has had recently."

Kagome concentrated on her remark about the wine. It seemed to her now that it _had_ tasted somewhat different, although she couldn't be sure. She _was_ sure, however, that she had indeed drunk it very fast.

"Inuyasha insisted that you be cared for here of course, and he explained the situation to your friends, the Sheppards. They said they would take care of the boys for you."

Kagome heard all this, but felt herself beginning to drift off again. She didn't doubt that Sango was telling her the truth as she knew it, but she _did_ doubt that she had simply collapse from the strain of performing or from the wine.

"Were you there when I played?" Kagome asked as she continued to fight sleep.

"No, the baby was restless, so I stayed with her. But I wish I could have been there. Miroku said you were wonderful."

But Kagome barely heard her as she floated down into sleep again.

**)O(

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_**Review responses:**_

**Shadowreader** – Thank you, I am fan of foreshadowing hints in a story. Not the types that jump out at you either. But rather the kind that as you go on through the story you stop and suddenly realize that there was the faintest hint of it whispered before. Or that it was mentioned in a slight passing but didn't seem all that important at the time but was much more so. LOL, guess I read too much Sherlock Homes and Nancy Drew growing up. **:P

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_Well, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I would like to thank everyone once again for all their wonderful responses to my story. It makes me happy to know that you like it so much!_

_Brightest of Blessings,_

_Lady Banshee 999_


	15. Chapter Fourteen

_**Disclaimer I don't own much. Of course this means Inuyasha and his crew.****

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**Of Fates Unknown**

**_Chapter Fourteen_**

The boys and Kaede arrived late in the afternoon. By this time, Kagome was feeling well enough to have taken a bath with the assistance of a young maid. Sango had provided her with a change of clothing, and she'd actually eaten a bit, but was beginning to feel slightly queasy as a result. Her head still ached, but at least the double vision was gone. All in all, it was a great improvement.

Shippou and Souta came bounding into the room; Souta's eyes alight with the wonders of the keep and the elegance of her room. Shippou on the other hand simply dove over the bed to pounce on Kagome with a great cry, after which proceeded to snuggle into her lap and say how worried he was about her. Souta turned to see his sister and exclaimed in delight at her big bed and immediately jumped onto it and began to bounce, making her already touchy stomach worse and her head throb even more painfully.

Kaede shooed him off the bed and asked how she felt.

"Terrible," she pronounced, secretly gratified to see a sudden frown on her rambunctious brother's face. Shippou had promptly fallen asleep while she stroked his red hair. "But I'm sure to live."

"'Twas that wine, dearie. Why that boy gave ye such a strong wine, I'll never know. Lord Inuyasha should punish him for that, but he's known to be very lax with his servants."

Kagome made a noncommittal sound. She was somewhere between believing the story she'd been given and a certainty that Inuyasha had had a hand in it somewhere. Only time would tell. If this was a plot of his, then it was because he intended to keep her prisoner here.

"I'll come home tomorrow," she told Kaede. "I do feel much better already."

"I like coming here," Souta put in, as a though suggesting that she should stay.

"Why?" Kagome asked, eyeing her brother curiously. Surely he was too young to feel what she felt in this place of their ancestors.

Souta shrugged, "It's big and it's nice and I just like it."

She wanted to ask him if he felt different in any way, but decided against it. He was too young to define his feelings that precisely, and besides, she didn't want to draw him into this.

"Lord Inuyasha said Shippou and I could come back anytime we want," Souta announced with a touch of smugness.

"Oh?" Kagome tried to disguise her alarm as she turned to Kaede.

"We met the captain and Lord Inuyasha as we were coming up here," she explained.

"He's going to take me to see the dogs when we leave here," Souta went on, his tone suggesting that that should be as soon as possible. "He offered to Shippou but he said he just wanted to stay with you."

Kagome felt like choking her brother, but she understood his feelings. He hadn't worried about her because she'd never been sick before, and his lack of concern also showed how well he'd adjusted to his new life. And neither could she fault him for wanting to see the dogs. She knew how he loved them, and she'd been thinking about getting him a puppy to replace the dog he'd lost.

Shippou's concern about wanting to stay was also understood. For as old as sometimes acted, in youkai society he was still younger then Souta, and therefore very clingy. Not that she minded. In fact she often enjoyed his want to be around her, and it was not uncommon to see her walking with him either on her shoulder on in her arms.

Souta spoke up again, "He says there'll be puppies in the spring and I can come to see them, too. D'you suppose he'd give me one?"

Kagome wasn't about to "suppose" _anything_ where Inuyasha was concerned, and furthermore, she was increasingly suspicious of his apparent kindness towards Souta.

"Those puppies will be very valuable," Kaede told him. "Lord Inuyasha raises samsets. They were supposed to have been the favorite dogs of the Ceadda."

"I've never heard of them," Kagome said. "What do they look like?"

"Much like wolves," Kaede told her. "Their fur is gray in the summer and pure white in the winter."

Kagome was remembering a badly faded tapestry that had belonged to her father's family. It had been used to carry the few belongings they'd taken with them when they fled Domna. There were wolf-like animals in it, gray with white tips of fur.

It was, she though bitterly, just one more part of her heritage that now belonged to Inuyasha.

"Can we go see them now?" Souta pleaded.

Kagome looked at Kaede. "Will you go with him? I am sure Shippou would rather stay here."

"Of course, dearie. Don't fret yerself. I'll keep him close."

While she watched them leave, she continued stroking the young kits back. Kagome thought that however determined Kaede might be to protect Souta and her; Kaede was certainly no match the Lord of Domna.

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"Lord Inuyasha sends his respects and asks if you're feeling well enough to see him." The liveried youth bowed to her. He was the same boy who had brought her the jewelry.

"Tell him I would be pleased to see him," Kagome stated, although she was anything but.

The youth left and Kagome sand into a chair before the fire. She _was_ feeling much better, but she didn't yet feel up to a confrontation with Inuyasha. She'd slept again after Kaede and Souta left, and then forced herself to eat a light supper with Shippou keeping her company, by telling her everything that had happened since she fell ill. Tadiz, the physician, had stopped by to see her and had suggested that another few days' rest would be beneficial.

Although she didn't say so, Kagome had no intentions of staying at the keep another day. Tomorrow, she planned to return to her cottage. She was, in any event, inpatient with illness of any kind, a trait very common to those who are rarely ill.

As she had begun to feel better, that deep burning anger was returning as well, and she was convinced that whatever was in the tower was responsible for it. She certainly had reason to be angry with Inuyasha for having usurped what rightfully belonged to her people- but what she felt went beyond reason and, therefore, was dangerous.

Her budding friendship with Sango would permit her to return and she would find a way to get to the tower- but for now, she wanted only to get away. She had left the door to her rooms open, and when she heard a sound, she turned in her chair to see not only Inuyasha but also Miroku and Sango enter the room. Fear clutched at her when she saw the look on Sango's face. It was obvious that she was greatly disturbed about something.

Inuyasha politely inquired after he health and expressed his regret over the mistake involving the wine. Kagome watched him carefully, but his expression betrayed nothing beyond his words. She thanked him for his solicitude and waved away the servant's mistake.

Sango took the other chair at the hearth and Miroku stood behind her. Inuyasha planted himself in front of the fire, facing her, with his arms folded across his chest. She waited in nervous silence, that they had not come here just to reassure themselves about her health.

"Miroku has learned some very disturbing news," Inuyasha said. "It would appear that you have some enemies."

Kagome stared at him in disbelief. "Enemies? What do you mean?"

Miroku took over smoothly- too smoothly, she though. She'd been foolish to trust him at all.

"The word around the city is that you are Ceadda. Most people are merely intrigued by the possibility, but others are… disturbed."

"Disturbed in what way?" Kagome asked, stifling an anger that didn't bear close examination at this point.

It was Inuyasha who answered her. "They believe you are a sorceress."

Kagome made a derisive sound. "I'm no sorceress. It's true that some have come to me believing that I have the power to heal, but I have nothing more than herbs to offer them- the same herbs used by your own healers."

Inuyasha arched one brow; "There was also the matter of the runaway cart."

She refused to be intimidated by this man. "What about it? Surely you're not suggesting that that was the work of my so-called enemies?"

"No, I wasn't suggesting that. The man following it said that it was headed straight for you and then suddenly turned away when you raised your hand." He paused briefly, "They also told a tale of strange lights that seemed to pour from your fingers."

She fixed her gaze steadily on him. "I saw no such light, and if I did raise my hand, it was no more than the kind of gesture anyone might make to protect herself. If they claim they saw more than that, they were probably drunk, which may be how the cart got away in the first place."

They stared at each other in silence for a long time. Inuyasha's youkai rising, his youkai demanding her submission to him, even though he tried to show no outwardly signs, but his human side was feeling something entirely differently. For a brief moment, Kagome thought she saw a gleam of amusement in his golden amber eyes, but sure that she must be mistaken.

"The fact remains that your life might be in danger," Inuyasha said finally. "Even your playing last night caused many to invoke the name of the Ceadda."

"The Ceadda are all dead- as you should know very well, since it was _your_ father who killed them." She spoke with thinly veiled contempt even as a part of her wondered at her continues recklessness. But what choice did she have?

Another long silence followed that, and then Sango spoke. Kagome had forgotten the presence of her and Miroku.

"Kagome, Inuyasha thinks that you should remain here until those who may be plotting against you can be found and dealt with. I think he's right. You would be safe here in the keep- and your brother and Shippou could join you."

So there it was- and it was obviously well rehearsed too. Kagome was inclined to think that Sango was innocent of any deception and only genuinely concerned for her safety, although the same could probably _not_ be said for her husband.

They had trapped her well. She _had_ seen fear on the faces of a few people, and she knew that fear could so easily become hatred. And if she insisted upon returning home, she could be placing not just herself, but the boys as well, in danger.

She stared into the fire, doing her best to ignore Inuyasha's presence as she thought about it. She was nearly sure that this was nothing more than a ruse to make her a willing prisoner in the keep- but what if she was wrong? If it were only she, she could insist upon leaving and take her chances. But she could not put Souta or Shippou at risk.

"I have my work," she said, temporizing even though she knew there was no way out of this mess. "Playing at the tavern and selling my herbal potions. I must support the boys and myself."

"There's no reason why you can't continue to play." Inuyasha said reasonably. "The men can escort you back and forth and since the tavern is well-known to be frequented by them, no one would attempt to harm you there.

"And as to your potions, I'm sure that Tadiz could use your help. He has a surgery here at the keep where he treats my men and there families."

"And the boys could come here as well?" she asked.

"Of course. I think they might enjoy it. I took Souta to the kennels earlier and more or less promised him a puppy in the spring- subject to your approval, of course."

Kagome looked Inuyasha directly in the eye and narrowed hers. "Why should you be concerning yourself with the boys and me?" she asked, knowing that she was catching him off-guard with the question.

Something flashed in his golden eyes briefly but then the polite mask returned again. "There are several reasons. You are newly come to Domna and without family, which makes you more vulnerable. And your playing has brought me great pleasure. Besides, Sango already thinks of you as a friend, and she is my cousin."

"And you may be Ceadda." The words were unspoken- but Kagome heard them nonetheless. If the captain and Sango hadn't been there, she might have said them herself. But this, she knew, was just between Inuyasha and herself.

She agreed that she and the boys would live at the keep temporarily, and then feigned tiredness to hasten their departure. Sango hugged her and said how happy she would be to have her here, and Kagome knew that she meant it. Inuyasha wished her a good night, and once more, their eyes met and held. Curiously, she saw none of the triumph there that she had expected- and that made her wonder if in fact she had been wrong about him scheming to keep her here.

She thought about that after they had gone. Having pledged himself to her safety, Inuyasha was scarcely likely to have her killed here in the keep. If that had been his plan, he could have accomplished it far more easily outside the keep, where her death could be blamed on her supposed enemies.

But what, then, did he want from her? She wondered if he was attracted to her, but she couldn't believe this was merely a carefully planned seduction.

Warmed by the fire, she fell into a light doze, then snapped awake again as she began to drift into one of those disturbing dreams. And in that moment, she understood what it was that he wanted.

He wanted her powers- the powers he believed she already possessed, or _could_ possess if she were to unlock the secrets of her people that lay within this keep. She should not have let herself forget that he was first and foremost bent on conquest.

Was it possible that he might know something about those powers himself? After all, he was the son of Inutashio, who had certainly known about the Ceadda's power. Did he know what was in that tower? If he wanted to keep it secret, putting forth some story about its being unsafe would make sense.

She wondered if Inuyasha _might_ truly fear her, as she'd suspected before. If he believed her to be Ceadda, and knew that Ceadda magic was real, he _must_ fear her. Unless, of course, he was arrogant enough to believe that he could control her and use her magic himself.

That familiar rage stirred within her again. This man already had all that was rightfully hers- and now he would seize her powers as well.

I must get to that tower, she thought. I must discover if it holds the secrets of the Ceadda. Only then will I know how to proceed.

**)O(

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_**Review responses:**_

**Bluecabbage** – LOL, I wish my husband had more time. He is like a wiz when it comes to spelling and could pick out all my mistakes. (sigh) Great to hear from you again though.

**HappyBunnyBabe** – Thanks, I keep trying to write more. About the spelling, yeah, I know I am missing some. After typing it out and what not, sometimes when I reread what I write, I miss things. I think maybe once I get through this story I will go back over everything to see what I can catch, but like I told someone before, my spelling sucks. :P Anyways, thanks for the review, and have enjoyed it thus far.

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_Well, here we are, another chapter down… and I have no clue as to how many more to go. _

_Another thing that bugs me about this site, asterisks and the um, wavy line thingie (eh, yeah..) don't show up. They get completely ignored. So now when I do actions I have to do them like I do. (groans) Darn it I want asterisks! (giggles) Anyways, I think I just got completely off track now. LOL, sorry, been a long day. _

_Reviews are always welcome. Flames will be painted on the '70 Mustang in my garage. (needs a new paint job anyways…) Ok, so everyone has been wonderful with his or her reviews, and I haven't gotten one yet, but I have always wanted to say that and I just couldn't resist. (giggles hysterically)_

_Brightest of Blessings,_

_Lady Banshee 999_


	16. Chapter Fifteen

_**Disclaimer I don't own much. Of course this means Inuyasha and his crew.****

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**Of Fates Unknown**

**_Chapter Fifteen_**

Souta and Shippou were excited about staying at the keep, and it quickly became apparent to Kagome that Inuyasha had made a very great impression on Souta- although his rank apparently had not. Inuyasha had promised him a puppy. Inuyasha had said he could go with him on a hunting trip if Kagome approved. Inuyasha had said that he could indeed become a soldier one day. Inuyasha, Inuyasha, Inuyasha.

Kagome had to clench her teeth and bear all this with a smile. For the first time, she realized just how much her brother needed a man in his life- and would need one even more as he grew older. Myouga was kind to him, but he was somewhat crippled and therefore unable to do many of the things a boy wants to do.

Shippou on the other hand seemed to become a second shadow to the girl. Even when Inuyasha offered to take him along too, Shippou would often decline and stay with her. When curiosity finally got to Kagome she asked him why he didn't go off with the boys, where he just snorted at the suggestion.

"Since when was the last time you saw a fox chase after a dog? Never, and you aren't going to either," was his reply.

This had both Kaede and Kagome and a good laugh at that one-day while Shippou joined the two after turning down another excursion with Inuyasha and Souta.

"Souta hasn't stopped talking about his Lordship since he met him," Kaede said when Souta had run off to pack his belongings. "He's very good with the wee ones. 'Tis a pity he hasn't any of his own."

"Well, he can't have Souta as an adopted son to turn into a solder," Kagome stated angrily. Then she turned to face the older woman.

"Kaede, do you believe there are people who would harm me or Souta?"

Kaede heaved a sigh, "Mayhaps there are. Some people fear what they canna understand."

"I just wish I could be sure this isn't some trick of Inuyasha's," Kagome said. "If it were only me, Id stay here, but I can't risk either of the boy's lives. I do want you to keep the cottage for us, though. I'll continue to pay you rent."

Kaede said that of course she'd keep the cottage for them, and then went on to praise Inuyasha for his concern and kindness, saying that he'd never stoop to such a trick. Kagome didn't bother trying to argue with her, knowing it to be pointless. Kaede, like most residents of Domna, seemed to believe that Inuyasha could do no wrong- except for his war making, that is and most of them forgave him for that.

After Kaede had left and Souta finally came home, Kagome sat the boys down for a serious talk. From the moment she'd discovered how her brother felt about Inuyasha, Kagome had begun to suspect that Inuyasha might use the boy's affection to gain information from him.

She chose her words very carefully, explaining that she understood how Souta felt about Inuyasha but he must be very careful not to tell him the truth about them. Shippou didn't have a problem keeping this information from him since he had less contact with the hanyou, then Souta.

"That must remain out secret, Souta."

"But Uncle Myouga and Aunt Kaede know," Souta protested.

"Yes, but I didn't tell them until we knew them well- and we don't know Inuyasha well."

She could not bring herself to say that Inuyasha could never be trusted and might kill them if he knew. She settled instead for Souta's heart-sworn oath that he would say nothing, and would tell her right away if Inuyasha began to ask him such questions.

Servants from the keep arrived to carry their belongings, and the three were quickly settled into a large apartment not far from that of Miroku and Sango- and close to Inuyasha's quarters and the tower as well. By questioning the servants, Kagome learned that this section of the huge keep had always been set aside for the use of the lord's family. She suspected that she was being granted this honor in order that Inuyasha and probably Miroku too could keep a close eye on her. But it occurred to her as well that he might want her to be near the tower, to see if she would attempt to go up there.

Her dreams returned- but they were different this time. She still could not remember them when she awoke, but she carried a sense of unimaginable power with her from that dreamscape. And during her waking hours, there was scarcely a moment when she wasn't aware of the tall tower looming over her.

For the first few days, she made no attempts to get into the tower, but instead familiarized herself with the layout of the keep and the comings and goings of servants and others in that section of the sprawling building. She also tried to determine Inuyasha's schedule, so she would know when he was likely to be in his apartment. It wasn't that difficult to do, since everyone seemed to know where he was at any given time. She found this vaguely irritating, since she still could not bring herself to assign the degree of importance to him that all others did.

Residents of the keep gathered together in a smaller dining hall for the evening meal, adults and children alike. There was no formality to these occasions, however. Children scampered about and although Inuyasha was accorded some deference, it was no more than would be shown to a family patriarch.

Kagome made certain that she was seated as far from Inuyasha as possible, but the same could not be said for Souta. From the first evening, he abandoned her to sit at Inuyasha's side. Kagome continued to worry about Inuyasha's over her brother. But there was little she could do except to worry.

Shippou on the other hand still preferred to stay by Kagome's side. Even though he did play with the children in the keep, since he heard that Kagome could be in danger, he took it upon himself to make sure he was always nearby. Which Kagome found to be quite endearing, and so she made sure to play with him whenever possible.

She continued to play three evenings a week at the tavern, escorted there and back by Inuyasha's men and Shippou. Sango had volunteered to look after the boys in her absence, but it soon became apparent that most of Souta's time was being spent in Inuyasha's company. Shippou made the excuse to want to see Kaede and Myouga and there grandchildren, but Kagome knew better. Her little shadow was not taking any chances, even if it meant having to be carried back to the keep that night, sound asleep in her arms, after a valiant attempt to stay awake.

The Sword and Bow was filled as always, but those who came did so only to hear her play, not to threaten her in any way. Once, a man did approach her as she rested, but it was only to beg for her help in curing his sick child, and several soldiers descended upon him very quickly. Feeling sorry for the distraught, frightened man, she told him to come to the surgery at the keep the following day.

But he never came, and when she asked Kaede about it, she learned that the child had died that very night. For many days, she found herself wondering if she might possess the powers that could have saved the child's life.

On the evenings when she was not performing, she left the dining hall as early as possible, even though others usually remained to talk and play various games. Souta lingered behind, and Kagome suspected that he was neglecting his studies, so one evening when she left, she instructed him to come back to their apartment within the hour.

After helping Shippou with is work, more then an hour had passed without him appearing. She instructed Shippou to stay and continue his reading and started back to the dining hall to get him. But no sooner had she left the apartment than she saw Inuyasha and Souta coming down the hallway towards her.

"Inuyasha and I are going up on the wall," Souta announced. "He says I can walk around with the guards."

"You're neglecting your studies, Souta," she admonished sternly.

"I am not," he replied. "Teacher says I'm one of her best students."

"There's a full moon tonight, and with the snow, the view should be worth the walk," Inuyasha said. "Why don't you join us as well?"

So she gave in reluctantly and they went to get their cloaks and Shippou, and then met Inuyasha. It was indeed a beautiful night as they walked across the vast courtyard and ascended the steps to the wall. Kagome, who hadn't been up here before, drew in a sharp breath at the sight before them.

Domna seemed even larger than she'd thought as it sprawled down the hillside from the keep and on into the wide valley. The city's outer wall seemed miles away, and she could just barely make out the tiny figures of the guards as they patrolled along it.

Souta and Shippou began to point out the tavern and their cottage and his school and the hillside where dropped an arm across her brother's shoulders, with Shippou on her shoulder, and enjoyed their innocent happiness, forgetting for the moment all her own troubles.

"I like it here, Gome," he finished happily. "I want to stay here forever."

"We _will_ stay here, Souta- but not always in the keep, of course." She added that for Inuyasha's benefit as well as for Souta's.

"But I _want_ to stay in the keep- and Inuyasha said we can."

Kagome turned to look at the tall hanyou beside her, and this time, she was sure that she saw a look of triumph on his face. She turned away quickly, trying to quell her anger, and in doing so, she found herself staring up at the dark tower, clearly outlined against the bright heavens.

Then the guards came along on their patrol and Souta reminded Inuyasha of his promise that he could join them. Inuyasha agreed, and one of the guards took off his tall helmet and put it on Souta, who then marched off with them. Shippou surprisingly ran off to jump onto Souta's shoulder to find out what exactly what patrol was. She watched him go vowing once more that he would never become a soldier.

She was so lost in her thoughts as she watched them disappear along the wide, curved wall, that several minutes passed before she realized that she was alone with Inuyasha for the first time. The tension that was always there between them now became nearly unbearable. He finally broke it by saying that he was expecting visitors within a week, if the weather permitted."

"Lord Naraku has been my enemy in the past, but I am hoping that we can form an alliance now. His lands lie to the east of here, and he would be a valuable ally when war comes."

"And must war come?" she asked, not bothering to hide her contempt.

"Yes," he said simply, "I had vowed to become King of the Rheas- and I will do so."

"No matter how many of your people are killed," she stated angrily.

"The people support me, Kagome." He said evenly. "And my agents tell me that I have great support in other places as well."

"I don't want my brother or Shippou to grow up to be a soldier," she said with a bit more venom. "It wasn't the way of Souta's or my people."

"It was once," he said in the same quite tone. "They too set out to rule all of the lands of the Rhea."

Kagome froze. So here it was. He had thrown out the challenge by lying about her people. There was no doubt in her mind that he was referring to the Ceadda.

"I know you're Ceadda- however much you may try to deny it," he said evenly. "As soon as I heard the stories about you, I had my agents look into it, and they found out that there had been a small group of people living in a hidden valley in the land of the Vali. The story is that they came there many years ago from Domna. I also know what happened to them. How did the two of you escape?"

Kagome remained silent as her thoughts whirled. She was shocked that he could have found out all of it so easily. And his words brought back those terrible memories, so that now she saw below her not the city of Domna, but her old village, burning in the night.

"We were gathering herbs in the hills when the Vali came," she said in a tight voice. "They killed everyone, and burned the village. My people had hidden gold and other supplies in caves, and we used that to get ourselves here. There was… nowhere else to go."

She stopped abruptly, embarrassed at the tremor in her voice. She'd been so strong for so long now. Why had she allowed herself to show weakness before this man?

She would not look at him, but she could feel his eyes on her. Then he tuned back to stare out at the city.

"My father told me that there'd been stories that some Ceadda might have escaped, but I never credited them. It seemed to me that if they had, they would surely have come back before this."

"We were happy there- as long as the Vali left us alone."

"What do you know of your people's history?" he asked.

"Enough to know that they weren't warlike," she snapped. "And we're not sorcerers, either."

Then, with great relief, she saw the boys returning with the guards. "I must get them home. They have schoolwork."

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_**Review responses:**_

**tsunami-chan** – (giggles) yeah, there will be more Inuyasha perspectives to come. And yeah, 'Marvin' runs quite well and is in excellent shape for a car his age. But he has been pulled into the garage this winter for a full restoration and engine upgrade. My husband bought him from a Mustang parts shop that was going to break him down for parts. **:S **

Some people rescue pets, my husband rescues classic cars. (rolls eyes) LOL, don't get me wrong, I hate to see good cars meet their maker, but darn… We only have so much garage space. **:P

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_One of my favorite spots in this story is Shippou's reasoning for not wanting to follow Inuyasha around all day. I was watching the episode where Kagome had just gotten over the ordeal with Kikyou's resurrection. The one where Inuyasha is looking off and Shippou smacks him on the head telling him it was weird for him to be thinking. Then Inuyasha proceeds to chase him around Kagome a bunch, then runs off. Well, the whole thing suddenly made me think of a fox hunt and it caused a really interesting visual. (which I don't think I should go into right now… But lets just say, my mind is really, really strange.)_

_Well, anyways, when I got to that part, I had a different reply from Shippou. But I decided, I just had to write it up this way instead. LOL!_

_Thanks for reading!_

_Brightest of Blessings,_

_Lady Banshee 999_


	17. Chapter Sixteen

_**Disclaimer I don't own much. Of course this means Inuyasha and his crew.****

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**Of Fates Unknown**

**_Chapter Sixteen_**

Inuyasha bade them good night in the hallway and returned to his own apartment, pausing only briefly at the locked door that led to the tower. He knew there was no way she could get up there on her own, and he was as yet unwilling to take her there.

Whenever he thought about her- that was all to often- he found himself caught in a tangled web of emotions. Besides the fact that she was Ceadda and therefore a serious threat to him and his throne, but she was also the most desirable woman he'd ever known. It was enough to throw both his human and youkai sense into a fit every time. Being a hanyou was good in some aspects, but trying in others. She was beautiful, strong, smart, and defiant. Not to mention her smell he found often times soothed the youkai in him. He learned that not to long ago, and it was enough to stager his mind as to why it was.

Granted the youkai part was often times as basic as it was complex, add in the human part of him and it was no wonder why he had yet to settle for just any pretty woman as a mate. All those things that made up Kagome called to his youkai and human side, but the power she may posses… that was the unknown factor. Both parts of him were both attracted yet repelled by it. He had found himself more on edge then he was before any battle he ever fought. And the damning thing of all was that he had a sneaking suspicion that he liked it.

Inuyasha was accustomed to taking what he though was his with little thought. And he had come across many women who would have been eager to warm his bed, even for the night. They would have been invariably compliant and eager to please him in anyway.

Kagome, however, barely acknowledged him as her lord and displayed a thinly veiled contempt towards him. "Compliant" was a word that would never be associated with her. She was possessed of a formidable will, not to mention the considerable courage it must have taken to come here after the death of her people. Perhaps it was that that called to him. Her will not to submit, drawing his youkai like a moth to a flame.

He thought about that single moment of vulnerability he'd seen when she'd told him about that, and how he'd wanted to take her into his arms and comfort her and promise her that she would never have to flee again.

But he knew that what he'd seen had been no more than a momentary weakness in a very strong woman- and that led him to wonder what she would become if he allowed her to confront the very source of Ceadda power.

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Her long-anticipated confrontation with Inuyasha had come and gone, and left Kagome very confused. She had a strong sense of something unfinished- never mind the fact that she had come here hoping to be accepted and that seemed to have happened.

Was it possible that Inuyasha regarded her Ceadda origins as nothing more than a curiosity? Or that perhaps he felt some small amount of guilt over his brutal father's behavior towards her people?

She began to doubt her theory that he intended to use her and her powers. It was possible that he didn't believe in Ceadda sorcery at all, and that the tower contained nothing but dust and crumbling stone.

A subtle but important change had come over the residents of the keep. She was treated with a respect that was almost the equal of that accorded to Inuyasha himself, and frequent references were made to her Ceadda heritage.

She discovered that Souta now referred to himself quite proudly as being Ceadda. When she questioned him about it, he told her that Inuyasha had said he should be proud of his heritage. Much of the time, he seemed to behave like the young heir to the keep.

Four days after their conversations on the wall, Inuyasha's guest arrived. She knew about the arrival of Lord Naraku very quickly, because one of his men was brought into the surgery suffering from chest pains and a ragged cough. Tadiz was away at the time, checking on the progress of a soldier wounded in arms practice. Kagome gave the man a potion and made a poultice he could apply as well. Then, when Tadiz returned, she left the surgery.

No time seemed more propitious for attempting to get into the tower. Inuyasha and the staff would be preoccupied with their guest and even if she encountered anyone, they'd be unlikely, given the high level of activity, to report her presence in that area.

Her dreams had continued and the seductive lure of the tower was unabated, but Kagome no longer expected to discover any great secret there. She was convinced that Inuyasha's acceptance of her origins meant that Ceadda sorcery was merely the stuff of legends.

True to her expectations, the corridor was empty and silent. There were only two doors in this small corner of the keep and she knew that one must lead to the tower and the other to Inuyasha's apartment. The doors were identical and it was impossible for her to guess from their positions, which one led up to the tower. So she paused before the first one and pressed her ear to it. Then, hearing nothing, she cautiously tried the gleaming brass handle.

It was locked, and therefore told her nothing. She then tried the other one, after pausing to listen and hearing nothing but the rapid beating of her own heart.

This door was unlocked, and when she carefully pushed it open, she saw that she was in a small anteroom to Inuyasha's quarters. She stopped and listened again, wondering if she could find a key to the tower. It seemed likely that it would be here someplace.

Emboldened by her need to get to the tower and her certainty that Inuyasha couldn't possibly show up anytime soon, Kagome slipped into his apartment and closed the door behind her.

The anteroom opened into a large, richly furnished room hung with the most beautiful tapestries she'd yet seen. They were so full of detail that she was slow to realize just what was being depicted in the vibrant colors.

Her purpose for being here was temporarily forgotten, Kagome stood before the largest of them, staring at what was clearly a pictorial description of the lives of the Ceadda.

It was all there, overwhelming in its abundance: the healers, curing by the laying on of hands form which a blue-tinged white light issued, figures in the midst of farm field, haloed hands raised to bring the rains or ward off the snows- and numerous battle scenes in which enemies tried to storm the city, but were driven back by figures standing on the walls, calling down bolts of blue-white lightning.

There were many humbler scenes as well: dancing and eating and children playing. Many figures were playing lythras like the one she owned. And the wolf like samsets roped through many scenes.

In the very center of the largest tapestry was a depiction of the keep itself. From the tall tower, shafts of blue-white light poured forth, spilling into other scenes.

Standing before this magnificent history of her people, Kagome felt that same surge of power she'd felt the day of the runaway cart incident. She was no longer one of a people who had hidden themselves away in a remote valley. She was no longer a terrified young woman fleeing to a place where she hoped she would be accepted. She was _Ceadda_, and this place was _hers_.

She tore herself away from the tapestry with great difficulty, but then immediately recalled why she'd come here. Assuming that if the key were here at all, it would be in his bedchamber, she went there.

This room, too, was huge, and contained the largest bed she'd ever seen. Its headboard reached nearly to the high ceiling and was the same richly carved black wood of the jewelry box and her lythra, and she saw thee same strange figures that Inuyasha had called "runes" carved into it.

The room also contained three large chests, as well as a cupboard that nearly filled one wall. She had just begun to search the drawers of the first chest when she heard voices.

She froze, and then looked around desperately for a place to hide. The only places of concealment she could see were the huge cupboard and the space beneath the high bed. Uncertain what would be in the cupboard, she gathered her skirts about her and quickly slid beneath the bed. Barely a moment later, she could see a large pair of highly polished boots approaching. A second pair followed in short order, and then she recognized Miroku's voice.

"Are you sure about this right now Inuyasha? I wish he had come just a day later."

Inuyasha snorted but sighed, "His timing can't be helped. Granted I am lacking, but I must do this now, least he becomes offended if I put him off for a day."

"His Lordship's already inquiring about a woman to warm his bed," the captain said with unconcealed disgust. "Perhaps we could maybe entice his interest in other aspects."

"Why would you expect him to do otherwise?" Inuyasha answered in the same tone. "At least the man's true to his nature."

"He buried his wife only weeks ago," Miroku stated.

Inuyasha snorted again, "That makes no difference to him. Naraku had never demonstrated any sense of decency in the past, and since he wasn't faithful to his wife when she was alive, it's unlikely that he'd change now. Besides, you know it wouldn't be enough to make him hold off the meeting till tomorrow, when my youkai flows again. 'Tis bad enough that it ebbs enough for me to be on par with a human right now."

"You had better make some arrangements with a prostitute or he'll be after the women here."

"Like Kagome, for example?" Miroku asked.

Inuyasha chuckled, "Not even Naraku would try to seduce a Ceadda. Have you told your men to make sure his men find out about her?"

"Naraku should be hearing it soon enough," Miroku responded. "I understand that one of his men already met her, in the surgery."

"Good. Now if only there were some way to persuade the lady to act as though she'd rather be sharing my bed then plunging a dagger into my back. I'll ask her to play tomorrow night. Let Naraku wait a wile for his first glimpse of the legendary Ceadda."

"If she plays as she did at the festival, he'll have no doubts about her origins," Miroku observed.

"And I agree that that's likely to bring him into line, all right. He's heard the same stories about the Ceadda that we have."

"If only I could be sure they're true," Inuyasha said.

"And if only you could be sure of her cooperation," Miroku added, with a chuckle.

Inuyasha laughed, "There is that. The situation reminds me of that old saying about being wary of what you ask for, because you might get it."

Then the two men switched to a discussion of the upcoming negotiations with their guest. Kagome turned them out as she concentrated on controlling her anger. So she had been right, after all. Inuyasha _did_ intend to use her for his own ends. He hoped to persuade Naraku that he already had a powerful ally in her, a Ceadda sorceress, and it sounded as though he thought he could use her as an ally in war as well.

Suddenly she realized what a position she put herself into. She had forgotten about his hanyou abilities, and forgotten about his ability to smell and hear. Surely he should of known she was here. But then maybe it had to do with what they were previously talking about, the flow and ebb of his youkai.

Quickly putting that thought aside for now, huddled uncomfortably beneath the bed, she recalled that scene on the tapestry of the Ceadda fighting off their enemies with lightning bolts. Could Inuyasha actually believe she was capable of that? And if so, didn't that suggest that he knew she could regain the lost powers of her people?

The two men moved back to the other room, and then remained there. While she waited for them to leave the apartment, Kagome considered what to do. It would be difficult for her to refuse his request that she play tomorrow night, and in any event, she doubted that would change things. Naraku would already know of her existence.

The scene on that tapestry kept haunting her. A part of her very much wanted to reclaim the heritage of her people, but another part feared those powers greatly. She wanted them for the _good_ uses to which they could be put, but she had not intentions of aiding Inuyasha in his war.

The men's voices dwindled away, and then the outer door closed. She waited a few minutes longer to be sure he didn't return. And as she waited, she smiled grimly at Inuyasha's remark about Naraku's being afraid to try to seduce her. It sounded to her as though he might be speaking for himself as well. However much he might want her, he too feared her- and that suited her just fine.

She scrambled out from under the bed and resumed her search for the key, more determined than ever to gain entry to the tower. If there were secrets of the Ceadda locked away in the keep, they must be in the tower. And she was more than ever certain that Inuyasha knew that.

It is time, she thought that I find more than mere legends to protect Souta, Shippou and me.

She found the key when she'd almost given up the search. In the very back of the big cupboard, beneath folded quilts was a sizable chest in that ornately carved black wood. It took her a few moments to figure out how to open it, but when she did, she gasped in amazement.

The large chest was filled with jewelry: necklaces, bracelets, rings- all of them clearly Ceadda in design. On top were two large discs on gold chains. The one with the heavier gold chain was the Val-Ceadda that Inuyasha had worn at the festival. And beside it was a slightly smaller version on a more delicate chain.

When the Ceadda had been rulers of Rhea, a king and queen had been elected for life. Each had his or her own sphere of influence, but they had ruled as equals.

Before she quite realized what she was doing, Kagome had lifted the Queen's Val-Ceadda from the chest and slipped it over her head. It settled against her neck and chest. Strange, deep warmth suffused her, leaving her whole body with a tingling new self-awareness.

Although she knew that he would undoubtedly discover its absence at some point- perhaps even tomorrow night, if it was to be a formal occasion- Kagome could not bring herself to put it back. The moment she'd put it on, it had become as much a part of her as her hands or feet.

Let him discover it, she thought angrily. How would he dare to try to reclaim it?

Then she belatedly remembered why she'd opened the chest in the first place and turned her attention back to it. The key was fitted into a small pocket in the soft lining of the chest, and she had no doubt that it was the key to the tower.

She hesitated for only a moment, realizing that when he discovered the missing Val- Ceadda, he would also discover the missing key and know that she'd been to the tower. If he accused her of stealing both items, she would simply level an accusation of her own that he had been keeping her from things that were rightly hers.

She slipped the Val-Ceadda beneath her dress, pocketed the key and replaced the chest, then went to the apartment door and listened to be sure no one was about. Moments later, she was fitting the key into the lock on the other door. It opened easily.

Kagome gasped as a great weight suddenly pressed down on her. The pendant grew very warm against her skin. She grabbed at the doorframe, fearing that she was about to faint. But then the feeling passed, leaving in its wake a growing sense of exhilaration. She stepped through the door and pulled it shut behind her, then ran up the twisting stone staircase, which, contrary to what she'd been told, was in excellent condition. With each step she took, she felt more exultant, until by the time she reached the door at the top, it seemed almost as though she were about to part company with her own body.

The upper door was closed, but not locked. She pushed it open, then stopped with her hand still raised. A new feeling washed over her- a far more powerful version of that sense of completeness she'd felt during the runaway cart incident.

Before her stood the object she'd seen in her dreams: a softly glowing obelisk. And as she stood there transfixed, she knew that she'd found the secret of Ceadda power, and there was now no going back.

She walked slowly towards the obelisk, feeling a gentle heat and then hearing a low, humming sound that seemed to come simultaneously from the obelisk and from within her. She stopped before it and her hands came up in slow motion to touch the glowing surface. Deep within the obelisk, strange symbols were appearing, and the pearl sized stone inside the clear crystal, pulsed.

**)O(

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_**Review responses:**_

**Jeff16** – I have yet to see the third movie of LotR. Thank you for letting me know about defining the city more. When I go back over chapters I will keep that in mind. Inuyasha's father didn't exterminate all who stood in his way, just Kagome's ancestors, because of the threat that race represented. Actually the real reason of why he did so to Kagome's people will be explained in later chapters. You have to understand that she is under the impression that his father is nothing more then a bunch of murderers. Neither knows exactly what the other knows of what they were told exactly happened back then. (two-side to every story) As the story progresses, the true recounts of what happened will surface.

Also, one will learn later on more of the fact that Inuyasha got basically rule of Domna when he was 14. He had to learn early on to do things his own way, and so a lot may not seem like he does things like his father. (like his father being afraid of the Domna people and him being more or less intrigued by what he could do with their so called "power".)

The people are content under him because: A. he keeps his people well-off compared to some. (will be further explained) and B. if he becomes King, there wouldn't be as many wars. (got to understand this is poor peoples p.o.v. not that it may really cease all problems.) The people praising Inuyasha to Kagome don't realize that she has never lived under a lord before, and even though he is one of the better ones, she just sees the bad out-way the bad right now. Sort of like telling a person how one car's engine is much better mechanically then another, when the person has no idea what a car is to begin with.

Again all this will be covered, as Kagome learns more about it herself. This is mostly a Kagome P.O.V. and she is use to living in a small peaceful village. But as she learns more and more about the inner-workings of living in a kingdom, it will cause her to not change her ideas, but come to understand better. LOL, like I said, we are still somewhat near the beginning, and so views change, people change, only death and taxes are a constant. (lol, sorry could NOT resist that. **:S**) But yeah, most of what you touched on will be addressed later. Wonderful issues brought up though. And I apologize about the length of my reply, I love a good discussion and it was great that you brought up the issues. Thank you for your review!

**Redroses** – Thank you. I am glad you have enjoyed it so far. Yes, about the issue of spelling and grammar issues. I have just had someone offer to beta test and will take them up on it. It is so hard to make sure you get everything sometimes, and my little old spell check only goes so far. So hopefully these issues will be addressed shortly. And thanks again for the review.

**hana no tenshi** – LOL, thanks for all the wonderful reviews. I think the reason behind the few reviews is because my story isn't that old. (been posting 2-3 chapters a day) So, it really isn't even a week old yet. About the beta, I will e-mail you. I have to get a .net passport first so I can get msn messenger. (don't know why I didn't get that yet)

Vali just seemed so right for Sesshy's kingdom. Don't get me wrong, I like him, I just couldn't resist. Kagome having magical powers… Wow, big shock right? **:P** And Yes she does adapt quickly, she has no choice really. (especially since I am the one writing her. Hehehe.) People who tend to hide their past, do so for a reason.

LOL, your reviews are just too much fun. (glomps) Myouga as a flea, married to Kaede… Mental pictures of kids… then mental pictures of how they had ki… er, never mind… DON'T WANT THAT MENTAL IMAGE! (runs around holding head screaming, "AAGGGHHH!") ROFLMAO!

Chap. 7 was shorter due to Chap. 8's size. I couldn't chop it up any better really. **:S** Thanks for reading my story, just don't get in trouble at work, cause that would be bad. **:P** And thanks for: A. the reviews, B. the offer of beta, and C. referring the story to a friend. I will e-mail you later today. I am trying to wait for hotmail to finish processing my darn info…

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_Wow, so many wonderful reviews for my story so far. I am so touched. :) Thanks everyone for taking the time to respond! And also to bring up some good issues too!_

_Brightest of Blessings,_

_Lady Banshee 999_


	18. Chapter Seventeen

_**Disclaimer I don't own much. Of course this means Inuyasha and his crew.****

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**Of Fates Unknown**

**_Chapter Seventeen_**

When she returned to consciousness, she was kneeling on the floor at the base of the obelisk, her hands still resting against its warm, smooth surface. It continues to glow, but not so brightly, and when she took her hands away, the light became dimmer still.

She got slowly to her feet, swaying a bit. She felt different- herself, but more than herself. And she also felt fear.

"What have I done?" she murmured, her voice echoing in the silence of the round stone chamber.

But there was no answer. She knew only that she had set herself upon a course from which there was no possible retreat.

Slowly, it came to her that she must have been up here for some time. As the light from the obelisk faded, the tower room became dark, lit only by the rapidly dimming light from outside.

She made her way back down to listen for sounds in the hallway. When she heard nothing, she opened the door, then quickly relocked it and hurried away to her own quarters.

Souta and Shippou weren't there, and she realized that they must be at dinner. She should have been hungry herself, because she hadn't eaten since breakfast. But she felt no need for sustenance. Instead, as her exhilaration drained away, she became so exhausted that she could barely manage to drag herself to bed.

**)O(**

Kagome's flying fingers grew still, and the final echoes from the lythra were lost in the rafters of the great hall. As before, there was a long silence- and then noisy applause. She stood and bowed, turning slowly to face all the guests before ending with a slight bow to Inuyasha and his guest of honor. Unfortunately, in avoiding Inuyasha's gaze, her eyes met the glittering red eyes of Lord Naraku.

She averted her gaze quickly and stifled the revulsion she felt towards the man. There had never been a time in her life when she'd felt such disgust towards anyone. In fact, like other violent emotions she'd fallen prey to lately, her reaction to him seemed out of proportion to the man himself, however unpleasant his appearance and behavior. But what surprised her most of all was a tremor of something that could almost be considered malevolence coming off the man in waves. As if he was nothing more then a being of pure evil, and only she seemed to be able to see the true extent of it.

Inuyasha surprised her by stepping quickly down from the dais to escort her back to the seat at his side. As she accepted his arm, she noticed his gaze resting briefly on the very spot where the Val-Ceadda lay between her breasts, hidden by the high-necked gown. Had he discovered it missing already? He wasn't wearing his pendant, even though he was dressed formally. She thought perhaps its absence was due to an effort not to irritate Lord Naraku, since he would probably know as well as Inuyasha himself that it was intended to be worn by the king.

As soon as she was seated, Naraku leaned across from his seat on the other side of Inuyasha and began praising her playing. The man was truly repulsive, and even though he seemed quite drunk, she wondered if it was nothing more then a ploy.

She couldn't explain it but she kept feeling that there was more to this man then what he portrayed. He would be considered quite handsome, with his long black hair and pale skin. He was tall, lean, and she was sure that if needed to be, he would be powerful in a fight. But the thing was there was something about those piercing red eyes that removed any kind of beauty the man may have possessed. It made one seem as if he was taking in everything around him without overtly doing so. And when he turned those eyes upon her, staring at her insolently, it was all she could not to shudder at the evil and suppress her anger towards the man.

When she sat back in her chair, effectively hiding herself behind Inuyasha, Naraku addressed his host as though she weren't there.

"A Ceadda sorceress- and a great beauty, eh? I don't suppose you'd care to share her, Inuyasha?"

This time, she was determined to strike the man, but just as she started to rise from her chair, Inuyasha somehow managed to turn to Naraku while at the same time placing a restraining hand on her arm.

"The lady is my guest, Naraku- not my mistress."

Again, Kagome kept her eyes directly on Naraku. Watching him with what she seemed to be an inner light. This man, if he could be called that, was trolling for any and all information. He was not drunk, as the others thought he was, his eyes, they were to focused, to intent, to be under the sway of the drink. No, he played his part, for who would be offended by claims laid by a Lord in such a state. Instead, information may be learned that would otherwise never be said.

She watched as something entered his eye as he smiled. A smile that would have a few cowering if they realized what she did. "Well, then she's fair game, isn't she?"

"No, she is not," Inuyasha stated in a dangerously quiet voice. Kagome could have sworn she heard a slight growl from him as well.

"I think you would do well to give sober thoughts as to who she is," he continued.

Naraku gave pause to the words, the smile gone, with nothing more then a ghost of a smirk left in it's place. Kagome sat there wishing that she did indeed possess threatening powers. She could think of no better use to put them to then to reduce Lord Naraku to a pile of ashes.

A servant refilled her wineglass, and Kagome lifted it to sniff carefully before taking a sip. She felt Inuyasha's eyes on her and turned to see him smiling at her. She felt it as an oddly intimate moment, a quick sharing of a memory that seemed somehow to bind them together.

He turned to Naraku's seeming drunken mutterings, but the unexpected warmth of the moment remained. If only, she thought, knowing full well just how dangerous those words were in connection with Inuyasha. She should not be wasting her time being angry with Naraku, she thought, when her true enemy was Inuyasha. And yet, it seemed that she could not think about him and the danger he represented without also thinking about the hanyou himself in a far different light. Especially with the nagging feeling that maybe, a worse enemy lay ahead.

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_**Review responses:**_

**hana no tenshi** – LOL! I was so tempted to have her suddenly start rubbing his ears. I mean, please. How can anyone resist the ears! (glomps ears) But I was going for a different type of atmosphere. (sigh) I have been very busy this week with this story. **:D**

And about her powers, it is sort of like the show. She never knew she was a Miko, but suddenly was able to blast Mistress Centipede, or even power up her arrows. Things are happening to her that she just doesn't understand or realize.

About the room, yeah, well I would agree but I am an angel. (adjusts halo to hide horns peaking thru…)

I tried to look for sanity once on E-bay. But I was out bid at the last moment. **:"( **I had to settle for insanity instead. But on the positive side, I got it for half the price and shipping was much cheaper! **XP **(wanders off singing "_There coming to take me away today… there coming to take me away…_")

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_Well, besides my lapse into insanity, I got another chapter posted. Hope you all enjoy!_

_Brightest of Blessings,_

_Lady Banshee 999_


	19. Chapter Eighteen

_**Disclaimer I don't own much. Of course this means Inuyasha and his crew.****

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**Of Fates Unknown**

**_Chapter Eighteen_**

The next morning, Kagome was working with Tadiz in the surgery, dealing with a new outbreak of the debilitating winter sickness that periodically swept the population. She had a great deal of respect for the physician and liked him as a person, too, despite his gruffness. He had welcomed her into the surgery and treated her with great kindness, when she had feared that he might resent her intrusion.

When he came into the room where she was preparing more potions with the help of Tadiz' young assistant and Shippou, she remarked that the same winter ills had affected her people for as long as she could remember.

"I wonder why such things happen only in the winter," she said.

"I've given that matter considerable thought," Tadiz replied, running his bony fingers through his thinning hair in a characteristic gesture. "I think it has to do with being confined indoors- too many people crowded too close together, and not enough fresh air."

"My mother said that once," Kagome recalled. "She believed that this kind of sickness actually passes through the air from one person to another."

"I think she was right," he nodded. "We tell those who are sick to avoid contact with others, but even when they do, those around them still become ill. Sometimes, I think of such sicknesses as being tiny bugs floating though the air, to be breathed in by others."

Shippou stuck out his tongue at this thought. "Ew, that makes me want to stop breathing!"

Tadiz laughed self-deprecatingly, "My wife says I am in danger of becoming a crazy old fool."

Kagome laughed with him, but the image remained with her, and when she returned to the outer rooms, she imagined the air to be filled with tiny insects hovering around the miserable people who sat waiting for their turns. When she began to imagine those bugs pouring into her nose, she pushed away the image very firmly.

Just as the deluge of patients had slowed to a trickle, a haggard-looking young woman appeared, carrying a small, pale boy whose ragged breathing was audible from the moment they entered the surgery. Tadiz greeted the woman familiarly and laid a hand on the boy's brow.

"He's no better, Master," the young woman said fearfully. "I did everything ye told me to do."

Tadiz tuned to Kagome briefly and she saw the look on his face. It was a look of frustration and resignation- a look that said he knew the boy would die and there was nothing he could do about it.

The woman turned to Kagome, too, and Kagome knew that she had heard what Tadiz could not say. Her dark eyes stared imploringly into Kagome's.

"Please, ma'am, can _you_ help him? I've heard tell that ye're Ceadda. I don't hold with sorcery, but if it'll save his life…" She stopped, realizing belatedly that she might be insulting Kagome.

Kagome glanced at Tadiz, who shrugged. "I've done all I can do for the lad, Kagome. He has the wasting sickness in his chest."

Kagome lifted the child into her arms and carried him into the inner room, and even as she held him, she could feel a terrible heat rising from his chest. When she'd laid him down on the table and unwrapped the blankets covering him, her fingertips actually burned from the heat in the boy's chest.

Frightened, she touched his face and his hands and found them much cooler. Tadiz came in and she told him what she'd felt. He put his hands on the boy and said he felt nothing more than the mild fever the child had had for some time.

They both stared at her hands- and then at each other.

"Go ahead, Kagome," Tadiz said gently. "Sorcery can be put to good uses as well as bad."

"But I don't even know if…" Her voice trailed off as she moved her hands towards the boy's chest and saw a faint, bluish light begin to glow around them.

Both of them made a sound of surprise as the light became gradually stronger, until it was covering the boy's entire chest. She felt a faint tingling in her hands and noticed that the heat began to fade to gentle warmth.

Kagome stared at her hands in awe, unable to believe the evidence of her eyes. The strange light steadied, then slowly began to fade. Both of them were so fascinated with it that a few moments passed before they realized that the boy's breathing was no longer labored and he'd fallen asleep.

For a moment, Kagome feared that he'd died, that somehow she'd killed him. But then she saw the slow, steady beat of his pulse at the base of his thin neck. She looked up at Tadiz.

"So it's real," he said wonderingly. "The Ceadda power is _real_."

She stepped back from the table and lifted her hands to stare at them again. They still tingled slightly, but the light was completely gone.

"I'm frightened, Tadiz. I didn't ask for this. It… just happened."

He touched her shoulder reassuringly, a simple gesture that did far more for her than he probably knew. "It's a gift, my dear. And a gift to be proud of."

He gathered the peacefully sleeping child into his arms and carried him back to his mother. Kagome could hear the woman's anxious queries turn to happy cries, but she remained where she was. She just wasn't ready to face the woman's gratitude- and most likely her fear as well.

Tadiz is right, she thought. It _is_ a gift to be proud of. But what else have I been giving? What else don't I know about myself and what it means to be Ceadda?

How desperately she needed some guideposts to this strangeness. Her ancestors must have passed down the secrets from parent to children- but she had no one to teach her.

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That evening, after the boys had gone to bed, Kagome sat before the fire, seeking warmth and finding none. Instead, she felt as though she didn't quite fit her own skin- or as though something else were sharing it with her.

And that something that shared her body had now taken it over twice without warning: first, when the cart had been hurtling toward her, and now with the child. When she'd taken him into her arms, she'd had no idea that she actually possessed the ability to heal him. The hope had been there, but not the certainty.

If the extent of her newfound powers was the ability to heal and the ability to protect her, she could accept that, and perhaps in time even welcome it. But she thought about the tapestry and feared that there might be much more.

She fell into a light doze, her mind drifting to thoughts of the obelisk. Was there more knowledge there? Should she return and find a way to communicate with it? Was that even possible?

With her eyes closed, the image of that tall glowing object filled her mind, and she began to feel its lure as well. Then, abruptly, she felt a jerking sensation, as though something had literally pulled her from the chair. She opened her eyes to blackness- and then found herself in the tower room, lying in an ungraceful heap on the stone floor before the softly glowing column.

Terrified and confused, she tried to remember if she'd come up here and then perhaps fainted. She searched her memory desperately, but could remember only that she'd been _thinking_ about it.

And even as the fear gripped her, it began to fade. Instead, she felt wonderfully soothed. She pulled herself into a sitting position and leaned forward to touch the obelisk. Warmth flowed through her, the beautiful, gentle warmth of a caress, and she moved closer until she had firmly pressed herself against it.

She must have dozed off, because she suddenly came to, with her cheek still pressed against the obelisk and her arms wrapped around its base. At first, she wasn't sure what had awakened her- but then she knew as she heard the sounds of footsteps on the stone stairs.

For one brief moment, she looked around wildly for a place to hide. But then she knew that she had no reason to fear anyone here- not even Inuyasha.

And it _was_ Inuyasha who appeared in the open doorway at the top of the stairs. He stopped so abruptly when he saw her that she knew he hadn't expected to find her here.

For a very long moment, Inuyasha simply stood there, his gaze moving slowly from her to the still glowing obelisk behind her. She started to get to her feet and he seemed almost to be coming out of a trance as he hurried forward to assist her. She ignored his outstretched hand and drew herself up quickly.

"You don't belong here!" she stated coldly, in a voice that she barely recognized as being her own.

He stopped and dropped his hand, his gaze once more moving to the obelisk behind her. "I mean you no harm, Kagome."

She stared at him, knowing- without understanding _how_ she knew- that he spoke the truth. For one brief moment, it was as though his mind had opened itself to her, and she could feel the confusing tangle of his emotions: awe, fear, desire, each of them struggling and failing to gain supremacy.

They stood there close enough to touch, if both of them had reached out. Their eyes met and held, and all that she'd sensed in him poured into her own mind. A soft heat rose within her, a very different king of heat that throbbed insistently with a need.

She cried out in protest at this feelings- and the spell was broken. She ran past him to the stairs, and then stumbled down them almost blindly. The heels of the delicate shoes that she was wearing caught on a step and she fell the last two steps to the stone floor just inside the door. Before she could get up, Inuyasha was there.

"Are you hurt?" he asked, kneeling beside her, but not touching her.

"I tripped," she said, feeling very foolish and vulnerable right now. She was still very much aware of his closeness, but that powerful need had ebbed away.

He got up and then extended a hand to help her, and this time she accepted. But the moment she put her weight on her right ankle, she winced in pain. Inuyasha picked her up, carried her through the doorway, and then kicked it shut behind him before continuing down the hall to his apartment.

If she had been merely aware of his closeness before, she now felt overwhelmed as he held her securely in his arms and she could feel the heat of his body and smell the clean, wholly masculine aroma that enveloped him.

He set her down on a chair in front of the hearth, and then asked if he should call Tadiz.

She shook her head, and then bent to close her fingers around the injured ankle. She heard Inuyasha's sharply indrawn breath as a faint glow outlined her fingers and tingling warmth passed from them to the ankle. The glow faded as quickly as the pain, and when she looked up at him, he was staring fixedly at her hands, much as she'd done herself earlier.

"Tadiz told me about the child," he said as he dragged his gaze away from her hands to meet her eyes. "He said you didn't know it would happen- the healing."

"No more then I knew what would happen when that cart came towards us," she replied, realizing too late that she'd denied doing anything. But it no longer mattered anyway.

"How did you get up to the tower?" he asked, his tone betraying nothing more than curiosity.

She hesitated, unwilling to tell him that she didn't remember. "I stole the key from your… from that chest." She gestured to his bedchamber. She refused to call the chest his, because it belonged to _her_.

"I knew you took the key- and the Queen's Val-Ceadda. But the tower door was locked- from the outside."

She turned away quickly, but perhaps not fast enough to prevent his seeing her shock, not to mention smell it. If what he said was true, then how _had_ she gotten up there?

That thought was so frightening that she quickly exchanged it for another. She slid her hand into her pocket and found her key still there.

"How did _you_ get up there if the door was locked?" she demanded, angry that he would lie to her and confuse here, when she was already confused enough.

He held up a key that looked identical to the one she'd found. "There are _two_ keys. You found only the one."

"Give it to me!" she ordered, extending her hand. "It doesn't belong to you."

But he shook his head slowly, and then returned the key to his pocket. "The tower might be your place, and not mine. But his keep belongs to me, Kagome."

The rage built quickly within her and she rose from her chair. Of its own volition, her hand traced something in the air and began once again to glow and tingle.

And Inuyasha was flung backwards against the fireplace as though struck by a heavy object!

He steadied himself against the mantel as she stood there, her hand still raised and her brain refusing to believe that she'd been responsible for what had happened to him.

Before she could say anything, he had jumped over to her and seized both her hands in one of his. His golden eyes blazed darkly.

"Damn it bitch! Don't you ever do that to me again! I could have you disposed of the moment I suspected you were Ceadda. Instead, I brought you here and gave you the opportunity to learn about your ancestors."

His youkai side was raging from the attack by the girl, but his human side gave him pause. Looking past his anger he really looked upon the woman in front of him. He saw a look in her eyes that made his anger almost instantly disappear and he relaxed his grip on her hands, but still held them. "That just happened, too, didn't it?" he asked, his voice soft but with a hint of gruffness as his youkai calmed. "You were angry and you struck out. You can't do that Kagome. People will fear you even more than they do now."

Tears of anger, frustration, and a bit of fear welled up in her eyes and spilled over. His final words had struck her with more force that she had unwittingly used against him- but she knew those words had been deliberate. And she knew, too that he wasn't afraid of her now.

Inuyasha lifted his other hand and gently wiped away the tears from her cheeks. The smell of her tears doing more to dispelling any lingering anger of his youkai side that anything else could. "I know why you ran from the tower," he said in the same softly gruff voice. "I felt it, too. It seems that there is much neither of us knows yet."

Then he let her go and she turned and walked out of his apartment, resisting the urge to run all the way back to her own room.

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_**Review responses:**_

**hana no tenshi** – I don't like being obvious. I prefer stories that have bits and pieces that have to be put together slowly to get the big picture… and sometimes that end result could be an end that was not what was expected. The whole thing about her powers going out of whack… consider it a test if you will. That's all I can say about that. Gotta love Shippou. (giggles)

For me, to want to read a story, it has nothing to do with length, or type. But rather if within the first page the story is well written, flowing, giving me a good mental picture, and not just he said she said with very little in-between. I know there are going to be spots were that happens. But I don't want the whole story like that.

LOL, at the lips thing… You know, I was considering once I am done with my story to do a parody of it. I can't tell you how bad I wanted her to see the Val-Ceadda and then put a sit spell on it. Or when she met him, walk right up and rub his ears. SO, I think that went this is over, I will seriously consider doing so.

**Bluecabbage** – I will try to update at least twice a day. I have caught up to were I had typed out, so now I am typing as quickly as I can to stay at least a day ahead.

**jeff16** – I read your review at like 3am today, and had a debate with myself that wouldn't biological warfare would be considered control over nature. Because isn't bio in and of itself nature at its smallest? (shakes head) Don't ask, I couldn't sleep… And that early in the morning, nothing surprises me about what goes on in my head. It sort of went down hill after I tried to think about the time I had pictured little ameba boys lined up like good little soldiers all in a row ready to go into battle. (the ameba boys are from power puff girls. Basically giant single celled organisms, is the best way to explain it)

So now that it is a more reasonably time, I will have to re-think about it.

**InuGoddess** – (blushes) Aw, thanks. I am glad you liked it. Although this one is A.U. I was inspired by stories like: "_The Lucky Ones_", "_Present Time_", "_Turnabout is Fair Play_", "_Unexpected Alliances_", "_The White Dog_", and a very interesting AU called "_Movie House Hanyou_", and many others. All of them are very good ones in my book. Well written, so that you can visualize the story, and the character development is just awesome.

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_Well, that's it for this chapter. Thanks to all of those wonderful reviews! It always brightens my day to read them._

_Brightest of Blessings,_

_Lady Banshee 999_


	20. Chapter Nineteen

_**Disclaimer I don't own much. Of course this means Inuyasha and his crew.****

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**Of Fates Unknown**

**_Chapter Nineteen_**

"Lord Inuyasha's been hurt! A wolf got 'im! They're bringin' 'im in now!"

Kagome and Tadiz stared at the guard, then at each other. Tadiz had grown pale.

"Wolf bites are often deadly," the physician told her. "It isn't often the wound itself- but what happens after. 'Tis a long, ugly and painful death."

Kagome swallowed hard, thinking of all the times she'd come close to wishing Inuyasha dead. Was it possible that her powers extended even to wish fulfillment? It was not an unreasonably question, since she had decided that her wish to see the obelisk that night had somehow transported her there. She was truly horrified at the thought, and her expression must have shown that, because after Tadiz told his young assistant to boil some water, he turned to here.

"He's a strong healthy hanyou- and not all who are attacked by wolves die." He paused, smiling gently at her.

"Then there is the matter of your own abilities, my dear."

They both knew by now that the young child she'd touched was growing stronger by the day. And in thee past week, she'd brought relief to the seemingly incurable aches and pains of several others, simply by laying her hands upon them. But she hadn't yet dealt with any wounds.

"This is different," she said uncertainly- and then they both turned to the doorway as they heard footsteps.

Inuyasha walked into the surgery under his own power- but just barely. And when his aid removed his heavy cloak, they could see the blood covering his thick tunic from his left shoulder down across his chest.

Horrified at the thought that she might have caused this to happen to him, Kagome simply stood there and stared. Inuyasha's eyes met hers only briefly, but she could see the pain they held at bay.

While Tadiz and his young assistant cut away Inuyasha's clothes and then began to cleanse the wounds, Kagome went to the outer room, where she found Miroku, who was just hearing the story from one of Inuyasha's men.

Inuyasha and some of his men had left on a hunting trip the morning after their encounter in the tower. Miroku, who'd been left in charge during Inuyasha's absence, told her that they would accompany Lord Naraku's party to the borders of their respective lands. Although the keep _was_ in need of fresh meat, the hunting trip was actually an excuse to keep an eye on Naraku until he was gone from Inuyasha's lands. The man had been known to steal from farmers and villagers in the past.

The hunting party had been attacked by a pack of marauding wolf youkai and their wolves as they were making camp two nights ago. The men had driven them off, but then the pack had returned later to attack, keeping downwind of the camp. The youkai in his camp were able to hold of most of them, but when a few went after Inuyasha's dogs the lord went to defend them. He couldn't risk firing at it out of fear of hitting the dog, so he'd gone after them with his claws. Before he killed them all one managed a sneak attack, latching onto his back and tearing into his shoulder.

After hearing the account, Miroku shook his head. "Trust Inuyasha to do something foolhardy like that. He's loved those samsets as long as I can remember."

The men dispersed and Miroku went in to see Inuyasha. Kagome remained alone in the outer room with her thoughts. Surely what had happened had nothing to do with her. Not one thing the man had said suggested anything out of the ordinary- unless one counted Inuyasha's risking his life over his dogs, and from what Miroku had said that wasn't surprising.

Having relieved herself of the terrible burden of guilt, Kagome thought again about what the physician had told her. She shuddered. Inuyasha certainly hadn't looked like a person near death, despite all the blood- but what if that sickness Tadiz spoke of struck him? Could she save him? Could such a thing bother a hanyou, even?

I _must_, she told herself. I cannot let him die. If these powers mean anything at all, I will be able to save him.

She was just beginning to let herself think about _why_ he was so important to her when she heard Tadiz calling to her from the other room. Abandoning her tangled thoughts gratefully, she hurried back into surgery.

Inuyasha still sat on a stool, bared to his waist, with a clean bandage now hiding his wound. As she walked in, an aide was handing him a cup, from which he drank thirstily. His eyes followed her progress as she went to Tadiz.

"Are you all right, my dear?" Tadiz inquired solicitously. "The sight of so much blood has been known to make even strong men faint."

"Particularly if it's their own," Inuyasha added dryly before finishing off the wine.

Miroku raised his hand to the back of his head and sheepishly chuckled, "I am never going to live that down am I?" Sighing he lowered his arm and gave the lord an even look. "You were a damned fool, risking yourself like that."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes and tried to cross his arms in front of his chest, then winced at the pain. "Whatever. I survived didn't I?"

"That remains to be seen," Tadiz said solemnly. "You know as well as I do that men have survived wolf attacks only to die later, even youkai."

Inuyasha had gotten up from the stool, and he laid a clawed hand on the physician's shoulder. "That's not in my stars, Tad."

"Nevertheless, I think that you should let Kagome treat you," the physician stated, apparently repeating an earlier suggestion.

Inuyasha's golden amber eyes moved to her face, then dropped to her hands. "I'll think about it," he said- then walked out.

As soon as he had gone, taking the others with him, Tadiz turned to her. "You should persuade him to let you heal the wound, Kagome. If you can cure the wasting sickness, you can almost certainly cure the wolf sickness as well."

"Did you suggest that to him before I came back?" she asked curiously.

Tadiz nodded, "I think he's very uneasy about Ceadda powers. Inuyasha is not accustomed to anyone having powers that he himself could not understand. It's always been that way."

"His only brother was not heir to the throne and left when he was very young. Inuyasha was Lord of Domna in fact, if not in title by the time he was fourteen. His mother had died when he was 6 and that is when his father took to drink. His father never recovered and only got worse when the years went on. Secluding himself in his apartment and refusing to see anyone."

"Power has always sat easily on his shoulders, as it did with his father before his mother's death. If he hadn't been born to be Lord of Domna, he would have become it anyway, by one way or another."

"I think he's feeling challenged by you- and he doesn't know what to do about it." Tadiz stopped and smiled.

"He may be also feeling some other things he doesn't know what to do about. You have to understand that when dealing with him, you have to consider the human and the youkai sides. Both are complex by themselves, but put them together, and it gets to be… shall we say, interesting." Shaking his head, he added, "The women that try to attract his attention have been human, and not understanding the inner workings of a hanyou, tend to be more… tractable than you have been. But that has a tendency of calling to a youkai. A challenge of authority if you will, that some youkai instinct can't resist. Even if he is only half, the instinct is still there."

"I'm not 'in his life' in that way," she said firmly.

"No doubt that's part of his problem," Tadiz chuckled.

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_**Review responses:**_

**Josie'n the P.cats** – Thanks! And beware, there is plenty of sappy but also a good deal of … we can't make it to easy for them now could we! (evil grin) Especially when a mystical stone pillar is trying to push two peeps together. LOL, although my mind is equating the stone pillar in replace of Kagome's school girlfriends trying to push her with Hojo. I just get the biggest chuckle about those three. Especially their covert ops on keeping tabs on the poor boy. I use to laugh my head off at girls in school like that. (granted that was over ten years ago)

Poor Miroku, so misunderstood. (snorts) Actually, to be perfectly honest… I um.. sort of forgot about the whole hand to butt magnatizim he has. But when I went back to recast him, I just couldn't. I liked him to much like this. Besides, I figured since Sango and him were already married, if he tired that to anyone but her, in private, he would be a eunich. LOL!

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_Well, this chapter is down… I haven't counted how many chapters this story is total. **:P **Thanks for reading and don't forget to review._

_Brightest of Blessings,_

_Lady Banshee 999_


	21. Chapter Twenty

**_Disclaimer I don't own much. Of course this means Inuyasha and his crew._****_

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**Of Fates Unknown**

**_Chapter Twenty_**

Kagome passed a long, unpleasant evening, hoping that Inuyasha would ask for her and there-by relieving her of the necessity of trying to persuade him to let her heal him. But when no summons came, she finally went off to bed, deciding that Inuyasha's fear and dislike of her powers must be greater than the pain he was suffering. Or perhaps he'd drunk himself into a stupor, which she knew was how most men coped with such pain.

She'd been greatly surprised to learn that the potion her people made from the poppy flower was unknown here, even though several people had told her that the flower itself grew in abundance in the wild. Tadiz was very interested, and when the spring came, she intended to seek out the flower and perhaps try to cultivate them in the gardens of the keep.

It felt as though she had just fallen asleep when a vigorous tapping awakened her at her door. After putting on her robe, she opened the outer door to Inuyasha's highly agitated young aide.

"Lord Inuyasha has need of ye, ma'am. He canna sleep for the pain."

She followed the boy to Inuyasha's quarters, giving no thought to the fact that she should have dressed properly before doing so. She found Inuyasha pacing around the large room, clad only in a pair of loose trousers. The eyes he turned to her seemed to hold more anger than pain.

"I dislike this," he stated with an animalistic growl.

"What is it you dislike: the pain or having to call me?"

"Both. But I must have some sleep. I haven't slept for four nights now- ever since the wolf attack, and even for a hanyou it is to much."

"I'm surprised you didn't just drink yourself into a stupor," she commented. "That's what most men would surely have done."

"I dislike drunkenness," he replied in that same animalistic voice, "regardless of the reasons for it."

Because of your father, she thought but didn't say. Instead, she gestured to the bedchamber. "Why don't you lie down and I'll see if I can help you."

He didn't move, but she noticed her ears pressing towards his skull. "Perhaps I should call young Kari back in here, in case you decide to take this opportunity to do away with me."

She found herself more amused than angry at his gruffness, probably because she understood its caused, but more of a sneaking suspicion it had to do more with his ears. "If I wanted to do away with you, I doubt that Kari- or anyone else- could prevent me from doing it."

She deliberately raised her hand, curving her fingers as though to trace those runes once again. "Now will you do as I…?"

For someone in great pain and suffering from lack of sleep and a bad wound, he moved very quickly, closing the space between them and grabbing her hand tightly as he cursed.

"Damn it! I warned you not to…"

"Calm down, Inuyasha," she said as she tried unsuccessfully to stifle her laughter. "I was just trying to persuade you to lie down."

He continued to hold her hand in an iron grip. His lips curled slightly to show off a bit of his fangs. "So now your powers have become a cause for amusement?"

"Not my powers, Inuyasha- _you_. That would couldn't been more unpleasant than you're being at the moment."

He let her go, and the trace of a smile hovered above his lips. Then his eyes searched hers carefully. "Did you think that you were responsible for what happened to me?"

"Wh-what makes you ask that?"

"Because you smelled so terrified and I didn't think it was the sight of my blood."

She hesitated, and then nodded. "I was afraid that I might have done something I didn't intend to do."

"Why would you think that your mere wishes can come true?" he asked.

"Inuyasha, you asked me here to help you. Please-"

"Answer my question first. Why would you think that?"

She turned her face away from his, not wanting to see his piercing eyes at the confession for some reason. "Because…" she hesitated for a moment before continuing in a very soft tone. "I think that mush be how I got to the tower that night. I remember wanting to go there- and then I _was_ there, with no memory of actually getting there." Turning back towards him, daring him to refute her claim. "And as you said, the door was locked."

He just continued to stare at her, and she looked quickly away. "Please don't stare at me like that. I feel strange enough as it is. I didn't want this, Inuyasha. I wanted only to live in peace here in the land of my people."

Then she started nervously as he one hand but kept the other in his grip. When she looked up at him, she thought she saw understanding there, but it was gone so quickly, and he said nothing as he led her into his bedchamber. She stopped as she saw the big, rumpled bed. He chuckled.

"Don't worry, you're safe. All I want now is sleep."

She started to make a sharp reply to that, but bit it off. Already, he seemed able to read her mind at times and she didn't want to risk being told that he knew what she was feeling.

When he had settled himself in the bed, she went over to sit down carefully on the edge. She saw his gaze fall on the deep vee of her robe. Then, before she realized what he was about to do, he reached out and lifted the Val-Ceadda from its nesting place between her breasts.

But as soon as he'd grasped it, he let it go again and jerked his hand away with a curse. Then he flexed his clawed fingers carefully as he glared at her.

"I wasn't going to take it back," he muttered.

"What happened?" she gasped at his action, unable to understand what could have caused him pain. His injury was to the other shoulder and she worried that he might have other, invisible injuries.

He continued to flex his fingers as he stared hard at her. "Don't play games with me, Kagome. You know perfectly well what happened."

Blinking wide-eyed she replies, "No, I don't."

He leaned back against the pillows, still watching her carefully. "Even if you didn't _do_ anything, you still must have _felt_ something."

"I don't know what you're talking about, Inuyasha." But she was beginning to suspect that the sacred Val-Ceadda itself might have caused the pain.

"When I touched it, sharp pains went through my hand and arm," he admitted with obvious reluctance.

"I had nothing to do with it- I swear I didn't. Why would it happen when you touch this one? You've worn the other one."

"For me, it is nothing more than jewelry. For you, it must be more, since you're Ceadda."

She lifted it herself and stared at it. "Perhaps you're right. I haven't taken it off since I found it."

Then she looked at him and saw the lines etched into his face and remembered why he'd called her in the first place. She put out her hands tentatively, stretching them toward the injured shoulder. He started to draw away, then stopped. The heat she felt coming from the wound seared her hands until she touched the thick bandage.

They both watched as her fingertips began to glow. But the light was barely visible and she suddenly realized that the bandages itself was preventing her from healing him. Or at least, she _hoped_ that was cause.

"I think I'll have to unwrap your wound," she told him uncertainly. "Do you have a knife I can use?"

He gestured to a nearby chest, where she found a small, sharp knife of the type most men carried with them. Then he moved to the edge of the bed and she cut away the bandages very carefully until she was able to unwind the final layers.

The wound was jagged and ugly. She hadn't seen it before and was shocked at the sight. She was also shocked to see that Tadiz had stitched it. How had he endured the pain? She hadn't even heard him cry out, and this wound was quite large.

He lay back against the pillows once more said she put out her hands uncertainly, not wanting to actually touch the would and cause him more pain. The heat burned her hands for a brief moment, and then subsided as her fingertips began to glow brightly. Within seconds, the glow had spread to cover the entire wound. As before, she felt something travel through her fingers and they started to tingle.

She was so fascinated by this display that she momentarily ignored him. Then she heard him sigh softly and saw his body relax slowly. She glanced up towards his face and noticed his ears drift from a forward position to a more relaxed one, and his eyes closed. The deep lines in his face seemed to smooth away even as she watched him.

She sat there for a moment longer, until the glow began to dim and then vanished entirely. Then she gasped as she stared at the wound in the light of the lamp beside his bed. The ugly, raw, seeping wound had almost healed. Nothing was left but a bunch of long, red lines, with a crisscrossing of stitches.

Kagome felt slightly dizzy as she stared at it. It was one thing to have someone say that you'd taken away pain- but to have the visible proof was another matter altogether. She actually wanted to shake him and wake him up to see this miracle. But she contented herself with wondering what he would think when he saw it himself in the morning.

She got up carefully and then drew the bedcovers over him. She'd intended to leave, but something held her there. Her eyes once again drew up towards the soft fur covered ears resting on the top of his head. Biting her lower lip, she glance quickly down to his face before reaching over with a hand and gently rubbing the closest one. A soft smile graced her lips as she continued. She felt a totally unexpected surge of tenderness that actually made her legs shaky.

Something is changing, she thought. Both of us are changing. We don't trust each other, but we are somehow being bound together.

Her mind went back to that moment in the tower and that terrifying need for him that she'd fled from. From what he'd said later, he'd felt it too.

Inuyasha stirred slightly, making Kagome quickly withdraw her hand, then settled down again. A few strands of silver hair fell across his face, and without thinking, she reached out to sooth them away. As she reached his face, she noticed his nose twitching and he murmured softly in his sleep- and she could of sworn that he had said her name.

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_**Review responses:**_

**Mrsjenthornton** – Thank you for your lovely review. Actually what is funny about it is that before I post my chapters, I run thru my e-mail to make sure I got all the responses. I must of just missed yours when I went to post. LOL! I am glad you have enjoyed my story so far and hope you continue to do so.

**jeff16** – Tis good to hear from you again. Actually, the thunderbolts thing is sort of like this. Not all Ceadda have the same type of powers. They have their more, um, should I say dominate trait. You will find that Kagome's will be more of a, shall we say, healing and defense, type. Now don't get me wrong, even a shield used in a particular way can be considered a weapon. But you get the idea. I haven't considered Souta's power. (can we say sequal) but actually I will keep that in mind. I thank you for your wonderful suggestions, and it would be an interesting thing to see. (maybe, not even for Souta, but maybe Kagome and Souta weren't the only ones who escaped.)

Oh… I see a world of possibilities with that one now. Searching for revenge, and with the invisible power to kill… wicked! (evil grin) I love it!

**Aitu** – Wow, thanks! About Naraku's attention towards Kagome. It isn't like he is smitten with her, but more like, he sees the unending possibilities if he can get his claws on her and her brother. Naraku is an evil, calculating mind. (shivers)

Shippou isn't really that fond of Inuyasha, where as Souta just adores him. Shippou is more attached to Kagome then anyone else. And you will see just what he will do in order to keep her safe. (besides, just being her shadow)

And even if he thought he could use Souta to charm his sister, he has quickly learned to like him and also the fact that diamonds may be considered the hardest substance on earth, but it really has nothing on a woman's stubborn nature.

I am glad you liked it so much, I try to post two chapters a day. (activities in real world permitting) And I do hope you will like the rest of the story too.

**Lil-Moe** – (blushes) Aw, thank you. I am just glad that people are enjoying this story as much as I am in creating it. I was sort of worried to tell you the truth, about doing an AU because I love the original story so much. I have seen Inuyasha mature in the manga but still hold on to his "I don't really care, at least that I want to admit" nature, and worried that it wouldn't work for him here. But I was able do keep it in a more under the surface, type thing. Miroku's character does show great intelligence too, but hides it under his (ahem) charming tendencies. In the end I hope that I was able to bring out more of their true natures. So over all I am quite pleased with this story. :)

**Jay** – Glad you love it. Thank you for your nice review.

**Josie'n the P.cats** – The wolves were also my sort of reverting back to the manga, where he is tormented by Kouga's wolf pack. (I just couldn't help myself) Since it was with Kouga that you see a more, um, conflicting nature come about with Inuyasha's interaction with Kagome. He protects her fiercely, almost to the point of jealousy but refuses to say why he doesn't like Kouga's attention of Kagome.

I think in the manga too, Inuyasha can see her as a threat and a desire. He desires to protect and care about her, but he can't because of the situations around them. (her ability to sit him, Kikyou, Naraku using her against him…) But that is just my take on the story.

I read (I believe in the story "Present Time") Kagome once question about Hojo. She questioned why someone who had such good grades was such a dunce when it came to girls and relationships.

**Ramzgurl** – LOL! I have put a hold on my other two stories, myself to re-edit and try to restore my documents. My computer crashed and all information I had on them went out the door. So I know how it goes. I have not seen the show that you were talking about, but if you happen to remember the name, let me know. I would love to see it. Thanks for the wonderful review.

**Poabrittany** – Thanks, I try to post as fast as I can, but with things happing in real life, sometimes I can only get one a day. I try for two though.

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_Sorry story is was delayed today. I had to shovel snow out of the driveway and then watch as a snowplow wiped out our mailbox. So then I had to call the county and have them fix it. (sigh) We go through at least two a winter. Then to top it all off, I couldn't log into my FanFiction account. (grrr.) I swear the world is against me today... Least it is anime night on Cartoon Network!_

_Major turning point in their feelings… (ahem…) er, not that they would admit it to anyone in a hundred years! Yeah, well, this chapter is important because it pretty much forces Inuyasha to admit to needing her. (even if it is just for healing) And Kagome sees that even though his father was a threat to her, maybe the son doesn't hold the same ideals._

_I will try to post another chapter later today, but I may not be able to. Tonight is YYH and all the good anime stuffs, so you know how that goes. I so look forward to Saturday night._

_Thanks again for all the wonderful reviews,_

_Brightest of Blessings,_

_Lady Banshee 999_


	22. Chapter Twenty One

_**Disclaimer I don't own much. Of course this means Inuyasha and his crew.

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**Of Fates Unknown**

**_Chapter Twenty One_**

Kagome was busy in the surgery the next morning when Inuyasha's young aid appeared and said that Inuyasha wished to see her. The small waiting room was overflowing with sick people and she asked the aide if Inuyasha was having pain again. Then, when the youth assured her that he was not, she told him she was too busy to see him now.

Both the aide and Tadiz' assistant stared at her in disbelief, while the physician himself chuckled.

"I think perhaps you'd better go, Kagome. Lord Inuyasha is known to be a patient man who doesn't always stand on ceremony- but he _does_ expect his summons to be obeyed."

So, with something less then grace, she acceded to Inuyasha's request and followed the aide to a room on the first floor of the keep that she hadn't seen before. It appeared to be a meeting room of some sort, although when she arrived, Inuyasha was there alone.

"The surgery is very busy this morning," she announced as she entered the room. Her mind was still on the people who had stared longingly after her when she'd left. Putting her strange talents to good use was extremely important to her now.

"Tadiz has always managed before, and he knows he can call on healers from the city if he has the need of assistance. Or have they all come to see _you_?"

"I suspect that some of them have," she replied, knowing that in fact _most_ of them had. Then she inquired politely if he had rested well, trying to ignore the memory of standing there at his bedside last night rubbing his ear. But her eyes kept straying upwards if she didn't pay enough attention. She was also trying not to be affected by his presence now.

"Very well, thank you," he replied. Noticing her errant gaze as he continued, "And as you mist know, the wound is nearly healed."

"Yes, it seemed to be much better when I left," she said as she continued to remember that muscled body all too well.

To her surprise, he removed his shirt. She was shocked to see that all that was now left of the ugly wound was a thin line that she knew would soon disappear. She stared at it in disbelief, so transfixed by this evidence of her powers that she was almost able to ignore the sight of his muscular, naked chest.

"So it's healed even more," he said, noting her shock. Not to mention smell the beginnings of something more.

"Yes," she admitted, still unable to take her eyes from the scar. "It's… frightening."

He put his shirt back on. "To you, maybe. To me, it's very fortunate."

He saw as her head sharply looked up at him, and he deliberately flicked his ear. Watching her eyes drifting upwards again to follow its movement, it was all he could do not to smirk.

Then he surprised her by switching the subject abruptly. "Tell me how your people were ruled in your village."

"We weren't," she told him, wondering why he was asking. Not to mention trying to keep her eyes off of his ears that would twitch from time to time. "There was no need for a ruler. Decisions affection the village was made by all of us- men and women alike. Before that, the Ceadda elected their rulers as equals. Why are you asking? I have no time to discuss this now, Inuyasha."

He remained silent for a moment, and then nodded, "I didn't know how much you knew about your people's past, but I guess that explains your behavior."

She was beginning to see where this discussion was leading and felt that unwelcoming anger stirring within her. "Explain what?"

He smelled her anger and gave her a level look. "I don't think I'm a harsh ruler- and I think others would agree with that. But I _am_ the ruler of Domna, Kagome. Your people may have ruled this place once- but it's _mine_ now."

"I don't recall having suggested otherwise," she stated coldly. Was this the thanks she got for having saved him?

"No, you haven't- _yet_. But I suspect that's only because you haven't yet become accustomed to being truly Ceadda. And I insist that you show me the respect others show me as their liege and lord."

The bitter bile of anger within her was rising rapidly now. "I give respect to those who deserve it, Inuyasha. And the fact that you are son of the man who stole this place from my people is no reason to show you respect."

Then she drew herself up haughtily. "As far as my not yet being accustomed to my heritage is concerned, you're right about that. But day by day, I know myself to be more Ceadda, and I make no promises about my behavior when I have learned all I need to know."

His golden eyes narrowed to mere slivers. She met his gaze with a challenge in her own eyes, but she wondered how and where she'd found this great bravery- or great foolishness.

And yet, as she wondered, she knew instinctively that he might rant and rave at her, but he would never harm her- or even _attempt_ to do so.

As Inuyasha stood there his youkai was raging inside of him. Golden eyes started to tint red as he stared her down. Everything in him that was youkai was screaming to make her submit to him, make her do as he said. He was alpha, he was pack leader, and he would be damned to back down from a challenge from a mere woman. Ceadda be damn! His human side was intrigued by this mere slip of a woman challenging him, enough to keep his youkai side from doing anything to act on his youkai urges.

She turned to go, fearing that she might be tempted to demonstrate her power by striking out at him. But then, she stopped in the doorway and gave him a cold smile.

"You have only yourself to blame for what I am becoming, Inuyasha. You are the one who brought me here and kept me here." She just barely stopped short of telling him that she knew he hoped to use her powers to his own ends.

She returned to the surgery, half-expecting that either Inuyasha would come after her himself, or he would send his men to get her. But no one came to drag her off, and she spent the rest of the day ministering to the sick and lame. When Shippou came to get her after school they ate a light meal together in her apartment to avoid dinner with Inuyasha, and went with him to go off to play at the Sword and Bow.

Kagome knew that she was pushing herself too hard. She was spending far less time than she should with Souta- and she knew he was spending far too much time with Inuyasha. But as much as her relationship with her brother suffered, the one with Shippou flourished. Still her constant shadow, he only left her when he went to school or when she sent him off to play with the other children at the keep. He was often time eager to learn everything he could during his time with her when they were at the surgery.

She considered telling Myouga and Kaede that she would have to cut back on her playing at the tavern, but she couldn't do it because they'd been so kind to her and the boys and she knew that her playing had meant an increase in business for them.

Furthermore, the harder she worked, the less time she had to think about what was happening to her and what might happen in the future. What she had said to Inuyasha was true: Day by day, she felt less like the person she'd been and more at ease with her newfound talents.

As she climbed tiredly into bed that night with Shippou snuggled against her, she thought about her latest confrontation with Inuyasha and smiled. It was obvious that he had gotten far more then he'd bargained for when he'd insisted she move into the keep. He'd believed he would get a tractable female who would use her powers to do his bidding.

But her smile drained away quickly as she wondered what would happen when spring came and he made his plans for war- and she refused to help him.

Then, as sleep crept up on her, she recalled that moment in the tower when she'd felt a desire for him more powerful than anything she'd ever known before- a desire that could not have come totally from her.

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_**Review responses:**_

_Ok, here's the deal. Weekends are a busy time for me. Especially when my daughter's birthday falls. I have spent the day dealing with family. Don't get me wrong; I love my mother and family. But my family and my husband's family don't always see eye-to-eye. And the results are often, shall we say… we often have a third party present so that way we know there will be someone who will be able to get to the phone and dial 911. So, please excuse me about only having one chapter posted this weekend. Between dealing with a 68-acre farm, family, and just everything else. I look forward to the weekdays to recover from my weekends… (sigh)_

_Because of such… I am in such a rush to post this chapter, that I am going to forgo review responses at this moment. I will come back later tonight and repost this chapter with review responses added. But I figured you would rather want the chapter sooner then later._

_Thanks for understanding!_

_Lady Banshee 999_


	23. Chapter Twenty Two

_**Disclaimer I don't own much. Of course this means Inuyasha and his crew.****

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**Of Fates Unknown**

**_Chapter Twenty Two_**

"Remarkable!" Tadiz exclaimed as he stared at Inuyasha's healed wound. "A true miracle!"

Kagome nodded as she too stared at it. Yesterday, she had treated a soldier who'd been accidentally shot by one of his mates while they were at arms practice. The man had come back this morning to thank her, and she'd seen that while his wound had healed quite a lot, it hadn't healed as thoroughly as Inuyasha's had. She hoped that Tadiz wouldn't mention that, but she had no sooner thought it than he did.

Inuyasha looked at her questioningly, and she affected a casual shrug. "Perhaps gunshot wounds are more difficult to heal. Or maybe it is because he is a hanyou."

"Not in my experience," Tadiz said. "They tend to be cleaner, and don't have as much torn flesh as would bites do. Besides, even with his hanyou blood, the wound shouldn't have healed to the point of not even a blemish showing this quickly."

Inuyasha continued to stare at her, saying nothing.

"Then I don't have any explanation for it," she said curtly. She not only couldn't explain it, she also didn't _want_ to understand it.

"Since you don't want to appear to be overly busy," Inuyasha said to her, "I would appreciate it if you could spare me some time."

Kagome saw Tadiz trying to conceal a smile at Inuyasha's sardonic tone. He nodded. "Yes, things have definitely become more orderly, thanks to your intervention, Inuyasha."

"What intervention?" Kagome asked, her gaze going from one to the other.

"Lord Inuyasha has told the guards at the gate to allow only a reasonable number of people in each morning."

"Why wasn't I consulted about this?" she demanded, thinking of the stuffing people who apparently turned away.

Inuyasha seemed about to respond to her angry outburst, but Tadiz cut in smoothly. "My dear, you are already working to your limits and beyond- as you yourself have admitted. The guards have been instructed not to turn away anyone who is in danger of dying."

Kagome opened her mouth to protest, but closed it again. Tadiz was right. Sometimes her hands actually ached from the forces that flowed through them.

"What did you want to speak to me about?" She asked Inuyasha impatiently, adopting that imperious tone she seemed to use on no one but him.

"Come along," he said, taking her arm. "I'm hungry, and it seems to me you could use some food. We can talk while we eat."

His gaze traveled over her and she felt herself beginning to flush. She had lost weight, but she hadn't thought it was enough for him to notice. Granted Shippou did, but then again, he noted her eating habits and was with her constantly.

As he led her from the surgery, she wondered again why she always felt so raw and irritated in his presence. In truth, he'd done little to deserve such treatment, and if she wanted to be totally honest about it, he was actually showing remarkable tolerance for a man accustomed to unquestioned obedience.

Of course, it could be easy to display tolerance for a time, while keeping a larger goal in mind.

The room to which he led her was small and rather crowded with a large desk and several chairs. On the walls were huge maps, darkened with age: one showing all the lands of the Rheas, and the other depicting only Inuyasha's own lands. On shelves behind the desk she saw a large collection of carved wooden soldiers and horses. When a servant came in bearing a large try of food, Kagome walked over to examine the collection more closely.

They were remarkably lifelike, down to the smallest detail. They'd obviously been made some time ago, since there were no guns in evidence. Instead, the soldiers carried swords and bows. One of them was fitting an arrow to his bow and the carving was of such high quality that it even appeared to be feathered.

The soldiers all wore uniforms with an emblem of some sort on them, and when she bent to peer at one closely, she gasped. Carved into the soldier's tunic was the symbol of her people- the same intricate sign that appeared on the Val-Ceadda.

"Souta is quite taken with them as well," Inuyasha said. "But he apparently has better manners than his sister, since he hasn't stolen any of them yet."

She ignored his jibe at her thefts. "These are Ceadda?"

"Of course- carved by Ceadda craftsmen."

Turning towards him she stated emphatically, "My people weren't warriors."

He shrugged. "Well, if they weren't they apparently like to pretend that they were."

She turned away from him and the collection. "Well, of course they had to defend themselves against their enemies."

"Indeed. _All_ wars are about defending oneself from one's enemies."

"You're wrong, Inuyasha. Wars are about conquest- taking what belongs to someone else."

"I think we'd better abandon this topic for now. I wanted to talk to you about Souta."

She turned back to him quickly, "Souta?" she echoed as fear and guilt rushed through her. What had he done? She'd had so little time with him.

He lifted the lids covering the food that had been left for them. "Will you join me?"

"I want to know what Souta had done," she said.

"Your manners grow steadily worse," he remarked mildly. "And it isn't what he's done; rather, it's what he _hasn't_ done."

Begrudgingly, she sat down and accepted the plate he handed her. "I'm sorry. If my manners are lacking, it's because I've been working too hard lately." She didn't bother to add that she was always at her worst around him, since he undoubtedly already knew that.

"Which is why I intervened. And perhaps you should consider playing less at the Sword and Bow."

Shrugging her shoulders she replied, "I've thought about it, but my playing draws crowds, and the Sheppards have been very kind to us."

Shaking his head he countered, "They've also done very well for themselves over the years, so losing some trade isn't likely to leave them starving. Sometimes, I think I should just pay them directly, instead of paying my men so they can just turn over their money to them."

A ghost of a smile played at her lips, thinking that she liked his sense of humor and that others undoubtedly saw far more of it than she did. Then she remembered that he'd asked her here to talk about Souta.

"What hasn't Souta done? I know he's doing well in school. I spoke with his teacher recently. But I don't see much of him. Has he been bother you?"

"Not at all. I like him very much- and his company is considerably more pleasant than that of his sister, I might add."

Snorting Kagome gives him a narrowed glance, "I think we'd better abandon that topic as well, Inuyasha. Tell me what the problem is with Souta."

He crossed his arms and tipped his head, "Abandoned topics have a way of coming up again," he observed. "But as to Souta, it seems that he's been subject to some taunts at school lately."

"What do you mean?"

"As you've probably gathered by now, most of my people- including myself- pay little more than lip service to our priests. But there are those who have very strong religious beliefs, and it seems that the children of some of them have been making remarks to Souta about you."

"About me?"

Inuyasha nodded, "I expect that old, Tomas, the high priest, will be paying me a visit any day, to protest my harboring the 'devil's handmaiden'. That is apparently the name he's given you, since that's what some of the boys have been telling Souta."

Kagome was aghast. "But Souta nor Shippou have said nothing of this to me."

"No, Souta talked to me about it. Shippou probably didn't want to worry you. Souta is at an age when he prefers the company of men. I was about that age myself when I began to turn more to my father then my mother."

"But what can be done about it? I won't have him bullied by the other boys."

"Exactly. He has to learn to defend himself. I'm surprised he hasn't already learned that."

"We were a peaceful race. I tried to make him understand that nothing is resolved by resorting in violence," she said emphatically. "That's what out mother taught both of us."

"What about your father?"

"He died years ago- when Souta was only four."

"So _that_ explains it," Inuyasha said, nodding. "He needs to learn how to defend himself, Kagome- and he _want_ to learn. He asked me to teach him."

She stood up abruptly, "That explains nothing. You will _not_ teach him!"

He continued to stay seated, looking at her passively. "Would you rather have him suffer beatings?"

"Of course not! I expect the teachers to prevent that sort of thing."

Inuyasha sighed and shook his head, "The teachers wisely understand that boys of that age have a need to fight. They continue themselves to making certain that no one is seriously injured."

Kagome was silent as she sat back down and thought about a conversation with one dear old male friend she had grown up with, only days before the Vali invaded. He'd said virtually the same thing and had claimed that Souta was in danger of becoming a sissy-boy.

The tears that stung her eyes were in part for that memory- the last conversation she'd had with her dear friend, and one that had ended with angry accusations on her part. And they were also tears of frustration. She was trying so hard to deal with all the changes in her life; she'd ignored Souta so that he had taken his problems to someone else. And to Inuyasha at that.

Suddenly, Inuyasha reached across the small table and took her hand. She started to pull away, but he merely tightened his grip.

"Kagome," he said in a tone so gently that she immediately lifted her head to stare at him, "do you think that no one can understand what you've been through- or what you're going through now?"

She swallowed hard. She didn't want his understanding, did she? How could she be sure this wasn't some plot on his part to gain her cooperation later when he went to war?

"You can't possibly understand," she replied, even though part of her wanted very much to believe that he could.

He released her hand and she felt the loss of its warmth keenly. His touch produced almost the same sensation as her healing powers: a tingling warmth that emanated from somewhere deep inside her.

"If you mean that I can't understand what it is to lose everything, and then find yourself at the mercy of forces you don't understand- you're right. But whether or not you want to believe it, I too have felt that force. Not the way you have- but I've still felt it.

"And I feel responsible for all this as well. After all, it was I who tricked you into staying here at the keep so you'd have the opportunity to find out if the powers of the Ceadda still exist."

At first, Kagome was so struck by his gentleness that his actually words failed to register. Then she realized tow things: he was admitting that the obelisk had some effect on him as well- and he had also admitted to the treachery she had absolved him of some time ago. She wasn't about to question him regarding that night in the tower, because raising that particular subject was too dangerous.

"You 'tricked' me? What are you saying, Inuyasha?"

"More than I should have," he replied with a rueful smile. "Your wine was drugged, and there was no one threatening your life at that time. Now, however, I think you _are_ in danger."

She sprang from her chair, glaring at him. "How dare you treat me like that? You-"

Kagome stopped abruptly and turned away from him. She was literally shaking with anger- but at least a part of that anger was directed at herself for _becoming_ angry. Hadn't she suspected this all along? And yet she'd agreed to move into the keep for her own purposes.

She was also angry that she could so easily let herself be seduced by his soft words of understanding and by his kindness to Souta, when she should be recognizing it all as a plot to gain her cooperation.

She had moved away from him to stand staring unseeing at the shelves of tiny Ceadda warriors. She wanted to strike out at him- and she wanted him to take her into his arms. It was madness. She had traded her sanity for the power to heal- and perhaps the power to kill.

He came up behind her and curved his clawed hand around the edges of her shoulders. His touch warmed her and stirred the dangerous mixture of her emotions into even more confusion. Then he turned her to face him and cupped her chin, lifting her face until their eyes met.

"I know you're angry with me," he said softly. "And I know that you want to strike out at me. But I also know you won't do it."

"What I did was wrong. But all my life, I've been going up to that tower and thinking about the powers of the Ceadda, and when I realized that you were Ceadda, I had to find a way to keep you here, to see if those powers still existed. Do you know that the obelisk glows all the time know?"

She shook her head. "No one has mentioned it."

"No one knows, I boarded up the windows so it couldn't be seen at night."

"That was probably wise," she agreed. The anger had left her as quickly as it had come-, as it seemed always to do with him. She still didn't doubt that he wanted her to use her powers to aid his war making, but she also believed what he'd said about being fascinated with the legends of the Ceadda. Somehow, caught up in the terribly tangled web of her own emotions, she had failed to see that he too was caught in a snare of conflicting feelings.

"I think you've been repaid for your treachery," she said with a slight smile. "By bringing me here, you might have gotten more that you bargained for. If that priest doesn't come to complain about me, what do you intend to do?"

"Tell him very kindly to mind his own business," he replied with a snort.

Tilting his head slightly she asked, "Will that work?"

He shrugged, seemingly unconcerned about the whole thing. "It will work because he has no choice. When I was a child, the priests attempted to foment a rebellion against my father, who had even less time for them then I do, who had even less time for them than I do. It didn't work, because the people wouldn't follow them. My father decided to get rid of the whole lot of them, but my mother interceded on their behalf.

"In my case, they know that there's no one to intercede, and they also know that the people are no more likely to follow them now than they were then- perhaps even less so."

Kagome shook her head. "Maybe I should talk to them," she suggested. "If I could make them understand that I'm not trying to come between them and the people and that I'm not the 'devil's handmaiden'-"

He shook his head. "I don't think that would be wise. Tomas is a very unpleasant, sanctimonious old man, and if you took the same dislike to him that you seem to have taken to me-" he chuckled.

"Let's just say that it wouldn't contribute to civic order to have the High Priest sailing out over the wall of the keep."

Kagome laughed. The image he had created was just to irresistible.

Inuyasha smiled, and then reached out to take her hand. "Do you know that's the first time I've heard you really laugh? I like the sound of it."

Once again, he had spoken words that sank deep within her and touched secret feelings that she wasn't sure should be examined. She also knew he was right. Souta had said just the other day that she wasn't "fun" anymore.

"You were right when you said that it's difficult for me to be controlled by forces I don't yet understand. There have been times when I've been angry with you beyond reason- as though it wasn't really _me_ who was angry, but rather something working _through_ me."

"And that night in the tower?" he asked softly. "What were you feeling towards me then, Kagome? Why did you run away?"

"I told you that I didn't always have control over my feelings," she replied, avoiding the question and then quickly changing the subject.

"I suppose that Souta will have to be taught to defend himself, but I intend to keep on telling him that violence is wrong."

Inuyasha sighed slightly knowing of her intent, but refused to release her. "I'll teach him what he needs to know, but he may not have need of those lessons for very long."

"What do you mean?" she asked, fearing that he was about to tell her something else she didn't want to hear.

"Souta is Ceadda, too. Had you forgotten that?"

She _had_ forgotten it. She'd been so wrapped up in her own problems that it had simply never occurred to her that Souta would one day have to face what she herself was now facing.

"When?" she asked fearfully.

"I know nothing more than you do. I've questioned him a few times about whether or not he felt different here, but all he says is that he likes living here. He doesn't seem troubled by your talents, but perhaps that's because he has yet to see them for himself.

Kagome was awash in guilt and terrified to think that her brighter might have to face all this, instead of having a normal childhood.

"I was wrong to have brought us here," she said, more to herself then to Inuyasha, whose presence she had very nearly forgotten.

"You had no choice," he pointed out. "And Souta will have the benefit of your help, so it shouldn't be as bad for him." He paused, gripping her hand a little tighter. "You didn't answer my question about what made you run away from the tower. We seem to make a habit of not finishing our conversations."

Kagome looked up at him hesitantly, "You told me that you felt… something, too."

He nodded lightly, "I did- but the feeling was not new. I felt it the first time I saw you at the tavern." He paused until she raised her eyebrow at him questioningly. Then he lifted her hand to his lips.

"I want you Kagome. Both sides of me have wanted no other woman before or after that first night I saw you. That's why you ran that night."

His lips pressed softly against the sensitive skin of her palm, and then moved slowly to her wrist, were sudden heat sent her blood coursing through her veins with a pounding rhythm that seemed to be roaring in her ears. She wasn't sure if it was her imagination or not but she thought she could feel the smallest hint of his fangs and his ears perked towards her, as if able to hear her heartbeat as well.

Their eyes met and held, and in his she saw a promise of pleasure beyond anything she'd ever known or even imagined. Her body was growing heavy and weak, filling with a hunger that was frightening in its intensity.

Inuyasha lowered her hand slowly, his eyes never leaving hers, as his nostrils flared at the sudden spike of her arousal, making his youkai side demand to be heard. Then just as slowly, he drew her into his arms. His hands glided slowly over her, curving themselves around her curves, heating her flesh.

Inuyasha. She spoke the word to herself, and suddenly it seemed to take on new meaning, to become the single word for all those disturbing, unremembered dreams. She wanted this- and more than this. But still she feared that wanting.

His lips touched her hair, her brow, an ear, a cheek, drawing down to her neck, with feathery touches, until she moved her head seeking his mouth with her own. Soft moans poured forth from them both, to be swallowed up by the other. She threaded her fingers through his thick, silvery hair and arched her hungry body to his, wanting, needing, demanding, as his eagerly answered with its own dominating claim.

There mouths became more insistent as their tongues intertwined in erotic pleasure. His hands cupped her bottom and pressed her against the unmistakable evidence of his need. She groaned in response, burning now beyond all reason. Her entire world had shrunk to this man and this moment.

And then there was a knock at the door and she spun dizzyingly back to the edge of reality to border between her fears and her need. Inuyasha reluctantly lifted his mouth from hers with a muttered curse. Then, just as reluctantly, he let her go and reached out with one long clawed finger to trace her swollen lips.

"Come to me tonight," he said in a low, thick growl, his eyes burning with a golden, amber fire. "Come to my bed, Kagome."

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_**Review responses:**_

**Han Mei** – LOL, then you should love this chapter. But the cliffy is if she will go or not. As to the heat, well look at it this way, her power allows her to feel abnormalities in the body and it shows up to her as heat. When she senses that heat it triggers something in her power to 'fix' what is wrong. Her not being sick before is simply a result of living with a healer at the time. Their mother would know how to take precautions to prevent illness. Back when the Ceadda where in power they would do the same to those who were sick as Kagome is doing.

I am glad you enjoy the story, and thanks for the offer. I do have a beta at the moment, but I need to take a day to type up more of the story. This part here I typed up this morning. (sigh) I caught up quicker with myself then I thought. Good luck with finals. It is one of the main reasons why I am glad I am out of school. LOL!

**Josie'n the P.cats** – Kouga is not going to be in the story. I just couldn't resist using 'him and his pack' as a major turning point in the story. As his declaration in the manga made Inuyasha actions speak louder then words, here too is the same thing. I think he is more of a 'if you don't realize what you are doing you stand to loose her' sort of thing. Granted she would be more interested in him then say Hojo, I just don't see her as the type of girl to play with both of them that way. (though personally I think she should. **:P**)

I tried to keep the spirit of the manga and the ability to say, 'yup, that is so them'. But still keep it so that it was still different. (I know, that just made no sense didn't it.) Anyways, I hope I have kept their spirit alive, if nothing else. Even if this is an A.U.

And about moving to florida… Sigh, I wish, but to humid for my liking. Now Texas, between the weather and the horses… that's heaven! LOL!

**hana no tenshi** – No worries about the reading. Have fun with your trip. I will be on IM a bit later today. Have to clean house after I get done posting this chapter… (sigh) A woman's work is never done. LOL at Tadpole!

**crazii grl** – Thanks for the review, and glad you love it. I usually try to get two chapters a day done. But this weekend was a bit crazy. I am going to take tomorrow off so I can get ahead again in the story. I caught up to myself, faster then I thought.

**Aitu** – LOL, at screaming. I bet your going to jump out of your seat with this chapter.. :P Thanks for the sympathy. My family is just such an ordeal at times. Glad they only get together once in a blue moon. Have fun at school today. (cough, yeah, right) And thanks for your review.

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_Ok, here's the thing. I have to take a day tomorrow to type up more. I have completely caught up to the point where I was typing this out this morning to finish this chapter. I am hopping to get two days ahead between today and tomorrow. I am sorry about this short delay in the story, but I would like to be ahead of the postings so that way early in the morning after sending kids to school, all I have to worry about is replying to reviews before I post the chapter._

_I thank you all for you reviews, and hope you do not mind this short delay. It just makes things easier at this end._

_Brightest of Blessings,_

_Lady Banshee 999_


	24. Chapter Twenty Three

**_Disclaimer I don't own much. Of course this means Inuyasha and his crew._****_

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**Of Fates Unknown**

**_Chapter Twenty Three_**

When he awoke, Inuyasha was certain that she'd come to him, after all. But as he shook off the last vestiges of sleep, he realized that he must have been dreaming. And yet it seemed that he could still feel her presence along with smelling the hint of jasmine and poppies that he had come to recognize as her scent. Could she have come, and then left again when she found him asleep? How was it possible for her to enter the room without his youkai senses noticing? He knew she had been hovering on the edges of uncertainty, wanting him but not wanting to want him.

He got quietly out of bed and went into the other room, thinking she might be there, waging a silent battle with that uncertainty. But the room was empty and silent, even though something of her presence remained, barely teasing his nose again. He lit a lamp and searched his quarters, even checking the large wardrobe before he shook his head at his foolishness.

How could she possibly be here, when he'd bolted the outer door after finally giving up any hope that she would come? But then she'd somehow passed through a bolted door before.

He turned off the lamp and sat down on the edge of his bed, irritated with the uneasiness of his thoughts. She wasn't the only one plagued by uncertainty. He rested his elbows on his knees and ran his fingers through his hair. He wasn't yet prepared to acknowledge it as a fact, but the thought was lurking there in his brain: he'd made a mistake by bringing her here.

He'd been so sure he could control anything that might happen, so secure in his position in this place. He'd never really doubted that if she regained the lost powers of the Ceadda, he could bend her to his will.

It was an understandable mistake, though he was in no mood to forgive himself. Throughout his life, people had always bent to his will, and generally with little effort on his part. Even his father hadn't been much of a match for him in his drunkenness, leaving Inuyasha to rule while he was still in his young teens. Men followed him unquestioningly; women sought his favor. Even his enemies would not challenge him alone, but rather formed alliances against him.

And in battle, he'd prevailed by choosing his wars carefully and not pressing his advantage too strongly when the other side weakened, because today's enemy was intended to become tomorrow's ally. Besides the throne the there were only two things Inuyasha thanked his father for: his youkai heritage, and his youkai blade. Both have been invaluable in during times of both war and peace.

He believed that it was all within his grasp now. His enemies were tiring and exhausting their resources, while he remained both strong and wealthy, thanks in part to an abundance of gold and other resources, and thanks in no small part to his attention to the needs of his people.

Only Naraku remained a threat to him- and then only if he allied himself with some of the others. And even though Naraku had scoffed, Inuyasha knew that his discovery of a Ceadda in Domna was giving Naraku second thoughts about starting a war against him. But something was nagging at him, a feeling he just couldn't name. A shadow loomed over a distant sky, and the wind seemed to be shifting towards Domna. Half whispered rumors, and nervous glances about seemed to become to frequent for Inuyasha's peace of mind.

The Ceadda had never ruled by virtue of conquests, but rather, because any potential enemy had been afraid to face their sorcery. And until they'd pursued the fleeing Inutashio beyond the borders of their lands, no one- apparently not even the Ceadda themselves- had known that their powers were not without limits.

Inuyasha thought wryly that if the Ceadda who had come back after all these years had been male, he would almost certainly have put him to death. But when he found Kagome, his male arrogance and youkai instinct had led him to believe he could control her, Ceadda or not.

Still, even if he had known then that she would not submit to his will, he could not have killed her. She might not have come into her powers then, but she had still ensorcelled him from that first night in the tavern. And Souta, who could certainly pose a threat to him as well, he had quickly come to love as his own little brother.

Inuyasha's mind went back over the years to all the times when he'd gone up to the tower to stare at the mute symbol of Ceadda power. From the beginning, he'd always harbored an illogical belief that even though it was a Ceadda place, he too belonged there and he too was touched somehow by its magic.

And now the obelisk glowed again- but it shone for her, not for him. Or did it? What he'd felt for that brief moment up there with her was a yearning that went far beyond the mere need to have her. It called to both his human and youkai sides, both wanting to claim not only the power, but also the woman in which the power flowed through.

He sat there in his darkened bedchamber, aching with unfulfilled desire and burning with the need to control a destiny, a destiny that he had planned out, that he sensed was slipping through his fingers. There would be no more sleep for him this night.

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Kagome awoke slowly, clinging to a memory that wasn't a memory, holding to what might have been. Even when she was fully awake and hearing Souta's voice as he talked to Shippou, she was still half-caught in that strangeness.

After Inuyasha's urgent invitation, she had walked through the rest of the day with visions of what might be- if she went to him. She'd gone to the tavern and had lost herself in her music even more than before. The haunting strains of the lythra became the background for a vision of two naked bodies moving to ancient rhythms, shifting from light to shadow as those rhythms built to a shattering crescendo.

Afterward, Kaede had said that there'd been something different in her playing. Pressed by Kagome to explain what she meant, the older woman had actually blushed.

"It got me to thinking of a long time ago, dearie, when Myouga and me were young like ye."

Kagome had returned to the keep in an agitated state, torn between what she wanted and what she feared. And in the end, fear had won- but just barely. She feared giving herself to Inuyasha because she knew it was a step from which there could be no retreat. How she knew this, she couldn't have said- but she _knew_.

Still, she'd gone to bed thinking of him, imagining him in his own bed, waiting for her. And when she was in that tentative place between wakefulness and sleep, a sudden vision had come to her: Inuyasha in his bed, all traces of harshness gone from his face as he slept. And she'd felt, for just one moment, that she'd been there- or some part of her had been there standing beside his bed, watching his nose flare as if smelling her presence.

As she got out of bed now, she wondered if it might have happened. Had she gone there, just as she'd gone to the tower that time? All she knew for sure was that he had started to stir restlessly and she had seen his dark lashes flutter and his ears twitch- and then it ended.

The cool air in the room touched her heated body in a curiously sensual way, and brought with it a sharp, sudden memory. She and Tarren had never made love, but had been close one time but they had decided to wait, until the wedding to join fully. When it happened it was just a few days before the Vali had killed him. She could remember awakening to find that they'd forgotten to add logs to the fire. The cool air had touched a body newly wakened to the pleasure that could be and had been- and the memory had survived to haunt her now.

A deep, sharp pain shot through Kagome as she longed for those days- for that quiet, uneventful life in the village and the equally quiet, undemanding love Tarren had given her. And most of all, she longed for the innocence of that time before she'd discovered Ceadda sorcery.

Before her thoughts could grow even more painful, Kagome went to join the boys, who were eating bowls of porridge and dried fruits as they warmed themselves before the hearth before going off to school. The maid had brought her a cup of strong tea and a butter-drenched piece of fresh-baked bread and she took a seat beside the boys.

Looking at Souta she sighed, "Inuyasha told me you've had problems at school." She continued carefully, "Why didn't you tell me about it Souta?"

He wouldn't meet her gaze and he didn't reply. Then, when she simply sat there waiting, he finally glanced at her briefly.

"You wouldn't understand, 'cause you're a girl."

"That's not fair, Souta. It's because of me that you've had trouble, isn't it?"

He looked up at her again, this time with a determined expression that made him look years older and brought a lump to her throat.

"Inuyasha's gong to teach me how to fight. He said he would. Then no one can call you names."

Sighing again she shook her head. "Fighting won't solve anything," she replied, knowing it was useless.

"Yes it will," he insisted. "They'll stop if they know I can bet them up." Bowing his head he continued, "If we were stronger then Mama and the people in our village wouldn't have been killed off." Looking her straight in the eye, "I don't want to have to worry about that again."

She couldn't dispute that, so she didn't even try. "You like him a lot, don't you?" she asked instead.

"Who- Inuyasha?" When she nodded, he did the same. Then, in one of those bursts of insight that never fail to catch adults by surprise, Souta looked at her challengingly.

"You don't like him, do you 'Gome?"

"He's… been very kind to us," she said slowly, not about to give him an answer she hadn't sorted out herself.

"He says that you have a lot of adjustments to make," Souta stated, pronouncing the new word carefully. "He says I should be patient."

"Oh?" She didn't like the notion that they'd been discussing her and that Inuyasha must have been defending her.

Shippou finally couldn't keep quiet any longer. "Well, that's ok. He seems ok; I just don't like him that much. Guess it has to do with him being half dog youkai. Personally if Kagome likes him or not for whatever reason, I can see why she might not. I mean his father did drive out your ancestors from this place. Not to mention the fact that it is very dangerous for Kagome and you when you first got here." Shifting in his seat he glanced up at Kagome, "I think it still is dangerous. I can't put a claw on it, but it is just a feeling."

Souta looked angry as Kagome just looked shocked. Souta voice his anger first though.

"Inuyasha wouldn't do anything bad to us. He likes me!"

Shippou defended his statement. "I know what I feel. I don't think it is coming from Inuyasha as much as it is from somewhere else. But I think Inuyasha can be just as cunning as any fox when it is needed."

Kagome shook her head as the two boys bickered about whether Inuyasha could be considered a threat or not. She reached out and touched Souta's hand, "I'm sorry if I haven't been myself- but you will have to face this someday, too, you know."

He jerked his hand free and stood up. "I don't want to be a sorcerer. I don't want people staring at me and calling me names."

And before she could think of a response to that, he gathered up his things and run off to school. Shippou sighed and gave her a hug, before following suite.

I don't want it, either, she said to herself, wondering if Souta, too, had been thinking of their other life. But she was also proud to be Ceadda, and proud of the use to which she was putting her talents.

Of course, she thought, I don't have to put up with taunts. The people here at the keep and the patrons at the tavern treated her with great respect. Only when she occasionally went to market did she sometimes see fear or hatred in the eyes of others. But none of them dared to say or do anything because Inuyasha's men always accompanied her.

She decided she would have to talk with Souta about all this, and perhaps she should take him to the surgery with her and Shippou to let him see Ceadda magic at work to help people. Often, they came to her fearfully, but by the time they left, the fear was replaced with gratitude.

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_**Review responses:**_

**Josie'n the P.cats** – Thanks for understanding. I got at least three chapters done and working on fourth one now. (sigh) It makes things so much easier to get ahead like that. In case something comes up, I don't have to rush stuff. I was really tempted to bring Kouga back. I love the little wolfie, but he and his buds served their purpose and so now, they are backstage helping with the lighting. (lol, sorry, couldn't resist that…)

Yes, the long awaited kiss. Things get… shall we say more 'interesting' now. (giggles evilly) I just couldn't resist the evil cliffy since I was going to be gone for a day. Had to keep the suspense up. **:P**

**hana no tenshi** – lol, glad you liked it. Just wait till you see what's coming up soon.

**Ebonyangel** – Thanks, and I think Fanfiction was going screwy for the past two days. I hope you can see the chapters now. I know there was a day were I couldn't even get into my account to post a chapter too.

**Mrsjenthornton** – Hehe, I hope you got a little sleep at least. If your too tired, then it makes it hard to read. I know, I have tried.

**Aitu** – ROFLMAO! Well, I guess she is now grounded. Souta is such a cutie in the anime, I just couldn't resist using him in the story, Shippou too. But don't worry, his problems will be resolved quite well. And about the matching necklaces, well, you'll just have to wait and see. I was just so darn tempted to having his necklace have the sit command put on it in some way. It is why I am going to do a parody of my story once I am done with this one. There is just so much to work with here.

**Foamyfun** – Cute name! Glad you like the story, even though it took so long to read. I personally like long stories. And about Kikyou… well, I have her making a short appearance in the story, more so then Kouga, but I can't explain, you'll just have to wait and see.

**Poabrittany** – You're welcome. Yesterday was a productive day for me in typing out more chapters. This over all story has me extremely pleased.

**Ramzgurl** – Thanks, thanks, thanks… lol. I am going to try to do so, and glad you love it.

**Abovefaith** – Aw, thanks. I am just so happy that this story is being so well received for being an A.U.

**resq188** – (giggles) Don't get too frustrated. But I do know what you mean though, I do too. There are three stories that are getting me like that. "The White Dog", "Turnabout is Fair Play", and "Present Time". These stories I have been dying to see an update on. (sigh)

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_Wow, all these wonderful responses to my story. I am just so happy. I am glad that no one seemed to upset about me taking a day, though. It really helped me get caught up. Well, anyways, I do have one um, shall we say issue. In my story… there is a reason for the R rating. (well, actually a couple of them) But I will not get into graphic detail about lemony things. If I decide to change that in the future, I will post it in MM and then show a link to the chapter. But without it, the story is not lacking, but I sort of am not sure about my (ahem) skills in that area. I am writing a lemon to post in AdultFan, to see if I have any sort of… 'talent' for it. O.o (er, yeah) It's sort of a test lemon, to see if it makes lemonade or just a really sour taste in peoples mouth._

_I just wanted to let you know, and if you have any thoughts on it please, don't hesitate to let me know. Like I classified this story, it is a romance, but some people don't want to read a lemon, hence the posting it at another site. (besides Fanfiction gets sort of funny about 'em anyways.)_

_Thanks again for the wonderful reviews,_

_Brightest of Blessings,_

_Lady Banshee 999_


	25. Chapter Twenty Four

_**Disclaimer I don't own much. Of course this means Inuyasha and his crew.****

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**Of Fates Unknown**

**_Chapter Twenty Four_**

Before going to the surgery, she stopped by to see Sango and the baby. Sango had summoned her the day before because the child was feverish, but this morning, she was gurgling happily on a thick rug before the fire, while her proud parents finished their breakfast.

She told them about her conversation with Souta, and both agreed that she should take him with her to the surgery.

"When he sees how much good you do, Kagome, he'll change his mind," Sango said.

"But he can't hope to change the minds of those boys at school," Miroku said disgustedly. "They're echoing their parents, who are merely repeating what the priests tell them about you. Inuyasha's headed for a showdown with old Tomas one of these days. The man's always been a thorn in his side and he hasn't improved with age. I hear that you've become his favorite topic of conversation. Before that it was the fact that Domna was being ruled by a hanyou."

Kagome told them that she had offered to meet with the high priest, but Inuyasha had feared the outcome of such a meeting. They both laughed at the thought of Tomas being flung over the keep's walls.

"I gather you haven't been throwing Inuyasha around again," Miroku said with a grin. "I'm not sure he'd survive another such blow to his pride."

Sango snorted, "I say, to hell with his pride, it would actually be worth it just to see you do it." Which caused the two of them to laugh.

Kagome was surprised that Inuyasha had told them about it, and they both saw that on her face.

"Oh, he told me about it, all right," Miroku chuckled. "In fact, he had quite a lot to say about it, but most of it doesn't bear repeating in civilized company."

Sango smiled with an evil glint in her eye. "I must admit that I rather enjoy the thought of my cousin being bested by a woman."

Miroku sighed and patted his wife on the shoulder, "Don't worry dear, spring is coming. Then you can get back to training again."

Kagome smiled at the longing look Sango gave out the window to that. Kagome had learned long ago that Sango was one of a few women who were trained in the art of fighting. Her family never did think highly of females who couldn't defend themselves, but Sango had shown a true talent for the art and was now as good as most men in the keep.

Sango smiled back at the others, "I just now have something to shoot for. Kagome can't be the only one to best him."

Kagome laughed with them, but she didn't feel triumphant. She was as much as Inuyasha's mercy as he was at hers, though perhaps for very different reasons.

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When she arrived at the surgery, the waiting room was filled with sniffling, coughing people. Tadiz' assistant was going from one to the other of them, deciding which ones could be sent home with medicines and which needed to be seen either by Tadiz or by her.

A short time later, an older woman was brought in from the city on a litter carried by two of her sons. Her right leg was bandaged from foot to knee, and when Tadiz unwrapped the bandage, the stench arising from her sores made them both avert their heads, then glance at each other in silent agreement that the leg could not be saved.

Kagome had discovered by now that there were limits to her powers. She could not heal the ravages of old age- of bodies that, Tadiz said, had lived their lives. And she was immediately certain that this poor woman's leg was beyond saving, though perhaps she might have saved it if the woman had been brought to her sooner.

Nevertheless, she placed her hands cant inches away from the festering sores, only to remove them after a moment and shake her head sadly. She'd felt nothing because there was no life left in the limb.

Tadiz explained to the woman and her sons that the only way she could be saved was to remove the lower part of the leg. Kagome was surprised when the woman stated in a strong tone that they should "get on with it, then", saying that she could manage without it and her grandchildren needed her.

Tadiz drew Kagome aside while the sons carried their mother into the surgery. She knew what he intended to ask her and dreaded it.

"Can you take away the pain while I operate?"

Shuddering she answered, "Yes, I think so. But I don't know if I can… watch."

"Then close your eyes," he said matter-of-factly. "I could give her whiskey, but I've seen this disease many times and strong spirits are not good for people who suffer from it."

She nodded and followed him into the surgery, then laid her hands on the forehead of the trembling woman. When Tadiz picked up the ugly saw, Kagome closed her eyes. Her hands began to tingle, and she felt the woman's tremors cease. She even made a soft sighing sound as she lapsed into unconsciousness- probably, Kagome thought, the first peace she'd known for some time.

Kagome had no idea how long she stood there with her eyes closed and her fingertips resting lightly on the woman's brow. She heard the terrible sounds of Tadiz at work, but it was as though they came from a great distance. Several times, she felt herself beginning to sway, but righted herself quickly, fearing that if she were to faint, the woman would awaken. Then, finally, the physician was touching her arm gently.

"It's over, Kagome. Now if you could just tend to the wound-"

Kagome opened her eyes, then felt herself swaying again as she saw the blood. Tadiz' assistant was carrying the severed limb, wrapped in a blood-soaked cloth, over to the back door of the surgery. The physician put his arm around her shoulders to steady her, and she drew in a deep, shaky breath, immediately regretting it when the foul odors assaulted her nostrils. Her arms ached, as though she had been carrying a heavy burden for a long, long time.

But she did what was required, feeling the healing warmth pour from her fingers as she held them over the suppurating stump until the bleeding stopped. Tadiz then applied bandages and they went to talk to the sons.

When he told them that their mother would live, thanks in no small part to Kagome's help, both young men bowed to her clumsily.

"We dinna know if t'would work," the one said. "The priest told us 'tis work of the devil ye do here, but our ma said that the Ceadda weren't no devils."

"And now you know that your mother was right," Tadiz said sternly. "The priests know very well that I would never permit the devil's work to be done here."

Both men nodded respectfully. Kagome was very grateful for Tadiz' words, since she knew that only Inuyasha himself was held in higher regard by the people. When the woman had been carried off to one of the small rooms where they kept patients who had to be watched over, she thanked Tadiz for his support.

He waved away the gratitude, "Ignorance- that's all it is. I have no time fore those muttering old men who call themselves servants of god. Doing good is doing god's work- and what you're doing here, Kagome, is good. I don't know where or how the Ceadda got their powers, but I do know that they used them for good, not evil."

Kagome felt so grateful to this man, who had from the beginning welcomed her assistance when he might as easily have been jealous of her abilities. She started to tell him that, but a soldier who burst breathlessly into the room suddenly interrupted them.

"A building's collapsed in the old market. There're people trapped inside, and Sergeant Havers says come quick! I got horses waiting."

Tadiz grabbed his cloak and bag and Kagome picked up her cloak as well. Within moments, they were clattering through the narrow streets of the city's oldest section.

"Have you been there?" Tadiz asked her.

She shook her head. "I thought Kaede Sheppard told me that those buildings were unoccupied after the market was moved."

"They were. They were to have been taken down come spring, but there were some squatters living in them for the winter."

"Squatters?" Kagome echoed, as they had to slow down because of the milling crowds. Everyone she'd seen in the city had seemed so well fed and housed.

"They came in from the hills at the beginning of winter," Tadiz told her. "From Naraku's lands. He didn't leave them enough to get them though the winter. We've had a few of them before, but not this many, and there was no other place to house them."

Before she could ask as to why the increase, they reined in their horses as the crowed became impenetrable. Kagome could hear men shouting somewhere ahead of them. The soldier who had led them here called to the crowed to make way, and the sea of people parted. In the distance, she could hear the clanging of the fire bells, announcing the arrival of the big water carts.

A well-dressed, but dirt-covered man hurried up to them and Kagome recognized him as one of the city's physicians who'd visited Kagome only recently at the keep.

"There are people still trapped inside the building that's burning," he told them. "No one can get through to bring them out. But we've got plenty of broken bones and burns to treat already."

They followed him through thickening smoke, and as they drew closer to the scene, Kagome could hear the screams of those still inside the burning building. Leaving the other two men, she ran towards the screams, halting only when a hand grabbed her roughly.

"What'ya trying to do, lady? Ye canna go in there."

She turned towards the uniformed man and saw slow recognition come over his smoke-grimed face.

"Ye're the Ceadda!" he said, letting her go quickly.

She nodded impatiently, trying to see through the heavy smoke. "Why are they trapped?"

"Roof beams fell in," he said. "We tried to budge them, but they're too heavy. Even for the youkai. They're trapped, poor souls."

"Show me," she ordered, lifting her skirts to pick her way across the rubble.

The solder caught up with her and took her arm again. "Lord Inuyasha wouldn't want ye to risk yourself, ma'am. There's naught to be done. Ye can't even get to the beams now, 'cause of the flames."

Kagome pulled free and ran toward the flames, finally able to see well enough through the smoke to find her own way. The beams had caved in to form a giant "X" across the doorway to an inner room, and flames licked greedily at the entrance. Beyond it, she could just make out the figures of the screaming people. And then, even above the roar of the flames and the screams, she heard a shout.

"It's _her_! It's the Ceadda! She'll save us!"

Kagome saw her now, a young woman holding a baby in her arms. Across thirty feet of flames and roiling black smoke, her eyes met those of the trapped people. And then she felt a surge of energy so powerful that it very nearly knocked her off her feet.

Her hands came up to trace an intricate pattern of blue light in the semidarkness and ancient words came to her lips. She was vaguely aware of men rushing up to her side, and then heard their shouts of surprise as the flames vanished and the fallen beams trembled and then turned to black dust. The screams beyond the barricade turned to exultant cries of deliverance as certain death were exchanged for life.

Trembling and exhausted, Kagome stumbled away, waving off their gratitude as she sought Tadiz and the other physicians. The rest of the building was still burning and it took her a few moments of wandering through the unnatural darkness until she came upon Tadiz.

One look at her and he tried to order her back to the keep, but she shook her head. All around them, people were crying out in pain, and some of them already recognized her and were reaching out to her, their auras of pain calling to hers for comfort.

Time had no meaning for her as she stumbled from one injured person to another, healing when she could and taking away the consciousness of the more seriously injured so that the physicians could tend them. The pain in her hands was so great that she winced each time she took away the pain of others. Her throat felt as though it were on fire and her chest ached with every breath.

She was oblivious to the sounds around her by now, but one voice had just begun to penetrate the fog that was filling her brain when two strong and familiar hands gripped her shoulder and spun her around.

Inuyasha's eyes were blazing with anger, but when she raised her face to stare at him, it died very quickly. Then, for a moment, it seemed to her that there was two of him. And after that, there was nothing.

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_**Review responses:**_

**hana no tenshi** – LOL, as soon as I post the lemon I will let you know. I think it is going to have a small story attached, not sure yet. I don't think I can do just a P.W.P (or my favorite 'Plot? What Plot?') Yeah, so anyways, I know some people aren't into the whole lemon thing so that is why it will be done away from the story. That way they don't get offended, and Fanfiction can't get snippy about the whole ratings thing. **:P** And about if she got transported there or not… well, you'll just have to wait and see.

**s-jane** – Thanks for your wonderful review. And yes, I am a big fan of both magic (the history of and modern idealism) and Celtic culture. But not just the Celtic culture, but also all those who share mysticism type background. Bard, Norse, Druid, Native American, ect. I find very fascinating in their beliefs and the way it structured their day-to-day living, even how the very beliefs bleed over to the Christian culture. So, it was easy for me to pick a topic for the story. :) And you will find, that his reaction will get more… shall we say 'intrigued' by her.

**Josie'n the P.cats** – Yup, good things come to those who wait. Ok, about Tarren and Kagome. See, a few years back, (probably about oh, say 2) Tarren and Kagome were engaged to be married, and just days before they were to be wed, Vali killed Tarren in an attack. So skip forward to the day of the village's final attack and she was deciding, from the way back from the forest) to accept Hojo's proposal to wed. Since the village elders were pressuring her to do so. Kagome and Tarren never went all the way. They decided to wait until after the wedding, but that doesn't mean there isn't other things one can do besides just losing your virginity. See. I hope that clears it up.

**animeturtle932** – Aw, thanks. Yeah, I was hopping for an original. There are so many wonderful ideas floating around there already, so it is sometimes hard creating a new one.

**Abovefaith** – No, I wouldn't do that. I am so waiting for the update of 'The White Dog'. It is such a wonderful story! Have you gone the author's homepage? There are some wonderful illustrations that go along with the story. (while you read the story, words in red are a link for the picture.) My favorite is the one where she is brushing his hair and he is stretched out on the towel. That one is soooo cute! It was a bit short, but that was due to the fact that it was the only way to break up the chapters. (sigh)

**Aitu** – (falls out of chair cause she is laughing way to hard) OMG, your reviews are a riot! (has a visual of both Inuyasha and Kagome both in opposite corners with their noses to the wall. Kagome is silent, blushing up a storm but silent. Where as Inuyasha is being his loud mouth obnoxious self, basically bitching about the fact that he was only doing what the script said and why the hell is he getting in trouble for something that I typed.) HA-HA-HA!! Nah, you don't have to bring a knife… just borrow Tetsusaiga! Thanks for your review, they always make me laugh.

**Ramzgurl** – Nope, no fluff… but don't worry. There will be more fluff then can be used to create a whole cast of Inuyasha plushies before this story is done. **:P**

**Obliviandragon** – Thanks, although I don't know about gloating. But I will say that I am pleased beyond belief that my story is well liked. **:)

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_Alrighty people, Thanks for the wonderful reviews! I think I may just see one hundred with this one. (Wow) Also, there is one big announcement: I have to drop the postings from twice a day to once._

_Only reason being is that there is going to be a whole lot of stuff going on this coming week, in both real life and in my story. (Let's face it, spring is coming to Rhea… and that means war season.) Also, I am the process of trying to find a job. Luckily, I am looking for a second shift job, that way my mornings will be free. (cause I also deal with my kids too.) So, I hope you all can stand only a single update a day. I am sorry about it, but our lack of cash flow is creating a bit of a problem. (sigh)_

_Brightest of Blessings,_

_Lady Banshee 999_


	26. Chapter Twenty Five

**_Disclaimer I don't own much. Of course this means Inuyasha and his crew._****_

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**Of Fates Unknown**

**_Chapter Twenty Five_**

A lone cloaked figure, ragged and haggard looking, walked quickly in from a darkened hallway into a room cast in shadows, lit only by the fire kept to warm the room. The figure walked over to a man sitting in an overly large chair facing the burning fire, bowing low and waited. The man continued to stare at the flames not once bothering to look at the newcomer. After taking a sip, from his jeweled cup he gave a casual wave of his hand to acknowledge the figures presence.

Rising from his bow he spoke. "Master, I have just come back with the information which ye sent me for. All went accordin' to your plannin'. Me men went an' burned the market, drawin' out the sorceress. And likin' ye said, she did somethin' with her hands. Drew in air, a type of symbol or what not. Whatever it was caused them vermin trapped to suddenly find there way out. I couldna' get closer without the guards getting' wind of me. After which she went around doing healin' and what not. Least, till that hanyou come get her. Funny thin' about that though…"

"Oh? Funny how?"

The cloaked man scratched his head. "Well, it seemed that the hanyou was pissed at her bein' there or somethin' like that. Didn't look to happy to see her there or somethin'. But when he got to her, and grabbed her, she just turned to look at him and fainted. Like he did somethin' to her to knock her out."

The man in the chair took another sip, then glanced over at the other person. "Or it would seem that the Ceadda have a limit to their power. Or at least this one does."

"Aye, I'd guessin' ye right. Well, when it happen' he just went and took off with her back to the keep from what I'd seen. I travel back as fast as I could to report, but I left me best men still back there. Ready for ye next job."

"And you're sure they will not be noticed."

The man nodded, "Aye, they be keepin' their heads low."

The other stood from his chair and smiled in a way that even made the cloaked figure shudder. "Good, I will inform you as soon as you and your men's… talents are required again."

At this he bowed again and left the room, while the other man refilled his glass then sat back down in his chair to resume staring at the flames.

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Once again, Kagome awoke in bed with no knowledge of how she'd gotten there. But at least this time, she recognized her own room. Her throat still felt raw, and when she coughed, her chest ached badly. Then Inuyasha's face appeared again, and she remembered his anger. It was difficult for her to focus her eyes, so she couldn't see him clearly enough to know if he was still angry. And she didn't understand that angry.

"Why-?" she got no further because her voice was a mere croak, and a very painful one at that.

Inuyasha turned away from her and asked for some water, then slid an arm around her and lifted her so that he was cradling her in his arms.

Was he angry? She wondered. But the question was less important to her at the moment than her tiredness. She'd never felt so tired in her entire life. She could not have sat up without his help, and it seemed that every muscle in her body ached the way her hands sometimes pained her after long use.

Tessa, her maid, appeared at her bedside and handed Inuyasha a cup. Kagome was alarmed at her expression. The girl looked as though she expected Kagome to die at any moment. To disprove that, Kagome drank thirstily from the cup that Inuyasha held to her lips. She was just tired, not dying. Surely there was a difference!

She drank as much as she could. Inuyasha set aside the cup and stared at her. Her eyes were focusing better now, and she was still convinced that he was angry. In a way, that relieved her worries about herself. Surely he wouldn't be angry with her if she were near death? Or was he angry because her death would ruin his plans to use her? She was so tired that her brain was having difficulty sorting all this out.

"What-?" she started to ask what was wrong with her. Her voice sounded more normal, but her question was cut off by a coughing spasm that left her even weaker.

Inuyasha lowered her to the pillows again, then stood up and frowned at her. Or at least she _thought_ he was frowning. Her vision was slipping out of focus again, but she could have sworn she heard him growling.

"What indeed! What the hell were you thinking?" he burst out in a harsh voice, which confirmed her beliefs at him growling. "I should string Tadiz from the wall of the keep for putting you through that."

Alarmed for Tadiz' sake, Kagome tried to speak again, but Inuyasha held up a hand to stop her. She saw _two_ hands, even though he held up only one.

"No, he's safe enough. I wouldn't harm him. Besides, he probably couldn't control you any more than-" He stopped abruptly with another louder growl.

He closed his eyes and sighed. "He says that all you need is rest," he finished after a pause.

But Kagome was already drifting off again.

**)O(**

When she awoke again, Kagome was alone and grateful for that. She was both thirsty and terribly hungry, but she lay there for a few moments, reconstruction what had happened. When she recalled Inuyasha's statement about Tadiz' not being able to control her, she actually smiled. And she was still smiling when the door opened very slowly and both Souta and Shippou put their heads around the edge.

"You're better!" they shouted, bounding into the room and leaping onto her bed. They loved the big beds here and despite her admonitions continued to bounce on them every chance he got.

She groaned, "I won't be better if you two keep jumping up and down like that."

But she was better. Her throat was still slightly sore and her chest ached, as did the rest of her- but at least she was no longer entertaining thoughts of her own death.

Shippou proceeded to curl up in her lap and give off a content purr as she brushed her hand over his head and tail, while Souta just looked her over.

"But you slept a really long time," Souta said when he had stopped his inspection of her. "Inuyasha's really mad at you."

Shippou snorted none to quietly and she sighed and shook her head at the fox's antics. "Because I slept so long?" she asked, motioning for Souta to pour some water for her from the pitcher beside the bed.

He got up and did as requested. "No, he said you need to rest. He's mad because you used your powers too much. But Sango says that you saved a lot of people and Inuyasha should stop complaining. She said Inuyasha was just really worried, not mad. Something about he always gets like that when he doesn't want to admit his worried about someone."

"Hmmmpphh!" was Kagome's only comment as she drank the water.

"I know you don't like Inuyasha but I think he really likes you," Souta said with a sly grin that made him look far wiser than his years.

She was about to say that it wasn't _her_ that Inuyasha "really liked" as much as it was her powers, but she kept quiet- partly because she knew Souta cared for Inuyasha, and partly because she wasn't really sure _what_ Inuyasha thought. And at the moment, she didn't much care, either. Shippou muttered something that suspiciously mirrored what she had been thinking about the comment as well.

Souta slid off the bed. "I gotta go tell Inuyasha that you're awake. I promised I would."

"No!" she said, but too late. He was already out the door. But he must have stopped long enough to inform Tessa that she was awake, because the girl appeared a moment later. Kagome got out of bed carefully, groaning slightly as her muscles resisted even that movement.

"Tessa, I must have a bath and wash my hair. I still smell of smoke."

"But Lord Inuyasha said that you were to stay in bed until Master Tadiz checked you," the girl protested.

"You don't work for Lord Inuyasha- you work for me. And I want a bath." Then she softened her tone when she saw the girl's stricken expression and heard Shippou's smothered giggles.

"Don't worry, Tessa, Kagome can deal with Lord Inuyasha just fine," he snickered.

Kagome raised a brow at the comment from the fox giving him a sly look. Which lost Shippou's battle with keeping his giggles hidden.

The maid giggled as well, "Yes, ma'am." Giving a smile that suggested to Kagome some whispered conversations among the keep's servants regarding their lord and the Ceadda sorceress.

Kagome did in fact want a bath to rid her of the lingering stench of smoke, but she also saw it as a way of avoiding Inuyasha for as time. Her brain felt as raw and irritated as her body and it therefore seemed wisest to stay away from him. Shippou informed her that she had been asleep for 4 days now, which explained the hunger she felt.

As it turned out, she couldn't avoid him for very long. Refreshed from her bath, she was devouring the food that Tessa had brought her and Shippou as they sat before the fire, when Inuyasha walked in without knocking. A faint smell of smoke accompanied him and she wrinkled her nose as Shippou started to sneeze.

"I've just come back from the old market," he explained. "Before next winter, we'll have it rebuilt as housing."

"For Naraku's people?" she asked.

"By then, they'll be _my_ people, so perhaps they won't need it. They could manage on their own if Naraku didn't tax them to death."

Glancing over at a suspiciously silent Shippou she blinked. "How can Naraku's people become _your_ people? I thought you agreed to an alliance?"

"So I did- but that was only to keep him from causing trouble for a time. How are you feeling?"

"Much better," she said, looking back at him. Though not at all pleased to hear that he thought so little of his promises even if it was a promise made to the likes of Lord Naraku.

"You did too much, Kagome," he stated, standing there and glaring at her. "You put yourself at risk because you don't yet know the limits of your powers."

"Would you rather that I had let those people burn to death?" she challenged.

Again a growling entered his voice, "If it meant risking your life to save them- yes."

Narrowing her eyes in anger she answered, "You may think that way, Inuyasha- but I don't. And I never believed myself to be at risk."

He abruptly turned his back on her to stare into the fire. "I spoke with the sergeant who was there with you. He said he tried to stop you, but you insisted on going in there. Then you made the fire stop and the beams that had been blocking the door just crumbled to dust."

"Yes. That's what happened," she confirmed.

He spun around to face her, his ears laying flat against his skull and a hint of fangs showing with a snarl. "And you just accept that you can do such a thing?"

"I don't have a choice," she replied nonplussed. "I didn't ask for these powers, Inuyasha- but since I have them, it seemed to me that I should put them to good use."

Instead of responding to that, he turned abruptly and left the room. Kagome and Shippou stared after him, wondering about his behavior. To Kagome, it seemed that he was having more difficulties dealing with her talents than she herself was at this point. Could he be jealous of her, worried that she would usurp his authority here?

Perhaps he has reason to worry, she thought angrily. Domna belonged to my people for centuries before his father stole it. And if _I_ were the ruler, there would be no more wars.

**)O(

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_**Review responses:**_

**hana no tenshi** – Have fun on your trip. My IM crashed and I am having trouble reinstalling the darn program. But I think it has less to do with the program and more to do with my Windows ME that I have installed in my computer. (sigh) This Windows sucks the big one. Hopefully I will have fixed the problem by the time you come back.

**s-jane** - Yes, but well, the surgery was needed to explain both how her powers work, in a way, and also her view about the harming of a living being. She is a soft-hearted person, and it was just a reinforcement of that. I myself couldn't even be a nurse if I had to. I don't deal well with blood or needles. (shudder) I couldn't even give my horse his yearly shots, and would rather pay the vet to come to the farm and do it instead. Thanks for the review!

**Josie'n the P.cats** – No problem. Didn't mean to do that though. LOL! Personally I love the fact that her strength shows through in the Manga and wanted to show that too. LOL, especially when she gives both Sesshy and Naraku a run for their money. :P I prefer strong Kagome then weak.

**Abovefaith **– I am thrilled that "White Dog" has been updated. If I could I would leap out of my screen and hug the author! Yes, the chapter is a bit sad, but it just ads to the story on the whole.

**Mrsjenthornton**- LOL, you sound like me. After I get the kids on the bus, I check out the e-mail to see if any stories have been updated.

**Ramzgurl** – Nah, you don't. I love a repeat review. That way I know if the regulars are still enjoying the story just as much as the new reviews. Oh, and don't worry, the fluff will abound!

**shadowreader** – Thank you. I personally love stories with more then just the basic plot, and tried to do so with this one. Normal day-to-day life involves more then just one thing, and I tried to do so with this story. Glad you enjoy it!

**Aitu** – LOL! Ok, so I guess I can mentally let them out of my corner now too, huh? Yeah, Kagome tends to get a bit single minded when she is doing something… but then again, it just proves how dedicated she can be about a cause. Don't know about the (ahem) blue box, but she will definitely help Inuyasha find a very interesting discovery indeed.

**NIKI** – Don't worry, the relationship will get along soon now. I just didn't want to do a type of story where they meet and two days later they jump in the sack. As it is, I am worried about the timing I have planed for this story. My sick, twisted mind of mine wants to drawl it out more then it is written originally. (evil grin)

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_Sorry this one is a bit late in the day. My computer wouldn't play nice, and I couldn't load this for anything. (sigh) I have saved all my info to disk because I think I will have to wipe out my hard-drive again and reinstall windows. That is just such a drag._

_For some unknown reason the Reviews were not getting sent to my e-mail. (groan) So I had to reload this chapter after adding my responses to the reviews that I missed. Sorry about that!_

_Anyways, thanks for reading, and don't forget to review!_

_Brightest of Blessings,_

_Lady Banshee 999_


	27. Chapter Twenty Six

**_Disclaimer I don't own much. Of course this means Inuyasha and his crew._****_

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**Of Fates Unknown**

**_Chapter Twenty Six_**

Kagome returned to her work at the surgery two days later. She had begged off playing at the tavern for a time, however. The Sheppards, who had visited her twice since the fire, were very understanding, saying that her health and the work in the surgery was much more important.

They also told her that all over the city, people were singing her praises. Everyone knew by now what she had done and people she had treated at the surgery now openly admitted to having gone to her and receiving help.

Kagome was pleased to hear that, but wondered what the priests had to say about it. Inuyasha seemed to dismiss them, but she worried that she might unwittingly contribute to the unrest as those who supported her clashed with those loyal to the priests.

Then there was also the situation with Souta. Inuyasha had begun to teach him about the basics of fighting and defense. She continued to stress the belief that fighting should not be condoned for any reason, except as a last resort.

Shippou on the other hand wanted nothing to do with the learning of that skill. Instead, he had started to take lessons from the older fox youkai that Kagome had talked to earlier about fox youkai behavior. He told her that he preferred the more tricky methods of getting into and out of situations when called for. Although he loved to learn about medicine and the art of healing, he also admitted that spying was also an interesting idea to think about, for when he got older.

Kagome was busy in the surgery all day with Shippou, since it was not a school day. By mid-afternoon, however, only a few people remained and Tadiz left the two and his assistant to deal with them as he went to check on the progress of those injured in the fire, who were recuperating at several sites scattered around the city.

The last patient had just gone when a young woman carrying a baby appeared at the door, accompanied by a guard who explained that he'd let her in because she'd said she wasn't a patient, but just wanted to speak to Kagome.

With Shippou on her shoulder she nodded, and the guard left. The young woman looked familiar, but a few seconds passed before Kagome realized that the other time she'd seen her had been beyond a wall of fire. She was the one who had shouted that Kagome was Ceadda and would save them.

She smiled at the woman, glad to see that both mother and child were well. The woman began to babble excitedly in an accent so think that Kagome could barely understand her, but it was clear that she'd just come to thank her fore saving them.

Kagome lifted the baby into her harms and began to unwrap it to make certain it was well, and as soon as she was relieved of her burden, the young woman flung herself at Kagome's feet and clutched at her skirts as she continued to thank her. Embarrassed, Kagome tried to raise the woman to her feet again, and just as she bet to her, Inuyasha strode into the room.

When the woman saw him, she curtsied quickly, then took her baby and hurried away. Still embarrassed over the woman's display, Kagome hastened to explain to Inuyasha who she was. He merely nodded, then stated rather formally that he wished to speak to her.

Kagome would of liked to put him off, but at that moment, Tadiz returned, and since there were no more patients, she was bereft of an excuse. Reluctantly, she followed him into the keep, and as they passed the children of the keep playing in the courtyard, she let Shippou scurry off with them. Once she found herself in the room where he had taken her before, she had to fight down memories of that encounter.

After he had closed the door behind them, he politely offered her some wine. She accepted, and then waited for the tirade that must be coming. Determined to be civil as long as possible, she affixed a polite expression to her face.

Unfortunately, she was unable to prevent the voice that echoed through her mind: Inuyasha's voice, growling thick with passion, telling her that he wanted her. It was almost as though that voice had remained in the room, echoing endlessly, awaiting her return to remind her what she had denied herself.

Although her body language gave nothing away, his sense of smell was telling him otherwise, but he chose to ignore it for the moment. "Can you control what you do?" he asked, shattering the silence between them.

"I'm not sure what you mean," she replied, although she was.

Snorting he crossed his hands over his chest and leaned back in his chair. "Was it you who decided to rescue those people- or were you _forced_ to do it?"

The question made her very uncomfortable, and she guessed that he knew that. It was true that she'd reached some sort of acceptance of her newly emerged talents, but his question only pointed out how little she really knew. And it revealed her greatest fear as well: the fear that she was no longer in control of her own life, which she was being swept along by forces beyond her understanding.

"I don't know," she said true truthfully, then hurriedly foolishly to deny that ignorance, more for her own sake than for his.

"I was frightened of the smoke and fire. But then the woman you saw in the surgery recognized me and shouted that I would save them- and I did."

"I don't like this!" he said, growling harshly, crashing his fist on the desk.

Kagome was shocked, although she tried not to let it show. She was seeing a side of him that she hadn't seen before, and she went back to her earlier thoughts about his possible jealousy of her.

"It was a mistake for me to have brought you here," he said in somewhat more normal voice. "At the time, I had thought-"

Leveling her gaze at him she finished, "That you could use Ceadda power to gain the throne." Her eyes narrowing further with each word.

She expected him to deny it, but instead, after a moment, he nodded unapologetically.

"I will _not_ help you win wars- even if I could," she stated succinctly.

He regarded her for a long moment, his ears twitching from time to time. "How can you be so sure, when you admit that you may not be controlling your powers?"

She stared at him, aghast, and then quickly began to marshal her protests. "I've used them only for good purposes: to save lives. I haven't used them to kill."

"But you don't know that you can't, do you?" he challenged. "Your ancestors certainly did."

"You're lying Inuyasha. If they _did_ kill, it was only to defend themselves- against people like your father."

"How much do you know of that battle?"

Rubbing her temples as she tried to relieve the pressure that was building she answered. "Only that Inutashio attacked and killed all but the small group that managed to escape."

"The Ceadda ruled the lands of Rhea for many centuries because they conquered every enemy in their path. When Inutashio tried to free the people from their sorcery, they drove him away. And even as he was retreating beyond the borders of the Rhea lands, they pursued him. That's when their powers abandoned them. There were never many of them and they had no weaponry because they hadn't needed any- so they were easy to defeat once their sorcery no longer worked."

"I don't believe that," she replied angrily. "You're only repeating your father's self-serving words."

"Think about it, Kagome. You know at least something of Ceadda power by now. How could he have defeated them if their power hadn't abandoned them? There were still Ceadda in this keep when he returned to Domna after defeating them. But the light had gone from the tower and so had their powers."

Growing slightly he waved an impatient arm in the direction of the tower.

"Whatever it is that's up there abandoned them. It abandoned them because they became to arrogant, because they pursued an already defeated army."

Kagome stared at the tiny carved warriors on the shelf behind him. She knew that Inutashio would certainly have told a tale that suited his purposes, but Inuyasha was right about one thing: the Ceadda could not have been defeated unless their power abandoned them.

Furthermore, Inutashio's story would explain the question that had nagged at her ever since she'd found out about Ceadda sorcery. Why had her people not only forsworn their magic, but also even denied its existence?

She thought about that time when her grand father had hinted at Ceadda magic and her mothers had vehemently denied it. So perhaps they _had_ known about it, but had conspired to keep their knowledge from succeeding generations.

"You are right that Inutashio might have tailored the story to suit his own purposes. By all accounts about him at the time, he was a driven youkai that the higher powers had given him a vision, ordering him to rid the land of the Ceadda. But his story still has the ring of truth."

"The story in my family is that my brother's mother had died after crying out that the light in the tower had returned. It hadn't, of course, but since then my father had checked the tower regularly, fearing that it would return. He told me about that the first time he took me up there."

"Unlike them, I have never feared the return of that light. None of them felt what I've felt up there."

"And what have you felt, Inuyasha?" she asked, half contemptuously and half in simple curiosity. He wasn't Ceadda; he couldn't have felt anything.

"I don't know- except that I never felt fear. The first time I went up there alone, I vowed that I would one day rule the entire Rhea. I think I made that vow up there deliberately- almost as a challenge to whatever power lay hidden in the obelisk."

He stopped, but she had the feeling that he had intended to say more, then thought better of it. Then he went on to say that he'd gone up to the tower each time he planned to lead his people into war.

"I always felt that whatever is up there approved of what I was doing."

She thought- but did not say- that he believed what he _wanted_ to believe. What held her back was her growing confusion about the power of the obelisk. She had been seeing it as merely an object through which wondrous powers were conferred upon her people. But what if it was more than that? What if it truly did control her- and perhaps Inuyasha as well?

"You haven't gone back to the tower since that night have you?"

Kagome stiffened involuntarily. How was it that he seemed to know so often what was troubling her? It was uncanny.

"I've felt no need to go there," she replied. Trying to betray none of the uneasy the question really gave.

"The light is nearly blinding now. If I hadn't boarded up the windows, it could be seen for miles at night."

She shrugged, "Boarding the windows makes little difference now. I doubt there is anyone within sight of its light who doesn't know that I exist."

Sitting straight up in his chair he ran a clawed hand through his long silver hair. "Then come up with me now and we'll remove the boards."

"I'm tired Inuyasha. And as I said, it really makes no difference." She got up and started towards the door, but his soft taunt stopped her.

"You're not tired, Kagome. You're _afraid_. You're afraid to go up there with me and find out we're _both_ part of some plan."

The black, blinding rave came over her suddenly. She whirled about to face him. "If there _is_ a plan, you play no part in it, Inuyasha. That light burns for _me_- not you! You would do well to remember that."

She stopped, as shocked by her outburst as he appeared to be. Once again, it was as though something had seized control of her, forcing those words from her.

They stared at each other in a charged silence, until he broke it with a quite challenge.

"If you believe that you can kill me, then do it!"

To her horror, Kagome felt her hand begin to move upward. He saw it, but stood his ground. She clenched her fist and held her arm rigidly at her side and the anger began to drain away.

"You can't kill me, Kagome." He said, but without mockery. "I'm as much a part of this as you are."

She turned again and left the room. But his words followed her. And later, she though about all that he'd said. Was it possible that there was a dark side to Ceadda magic? Was that the reason her people had forsworn it? Had they been corrupted by their great powers- and now was that corruption touching her?

**)O(

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_**Review responses:**_

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**tsunami-chan** - Yes, sorry about that, but my schedule got more crazy then usual. Sorry about that!

**Anna Sakurai** - Talk about a power struggle. Hanyou v.s. Ceadda. Would be interesting wouldn't it. LOL, you know my husband and I have a deal worked out. I deal with sickness, he deals with blood when it comes to the kids. So far it has worked out nicely. Haven't seen Kill Bill 2, but just bought the first one. Crazy I tell you. Although, personally, I like 'The Crow' better as my favorite movie.

**Josie'n the P.cats** - LOL, Inuyasha show concern? LOL, that means he would have to show he cares. And we all know how that goes. Yup, every story has to have at least one of the evil type persons running around it. (giggles maddly) I mean besides the author! MUAWAHAHAHAHA! (cough, choak, gag)

**poabrittany**- I thank you for the wonderful comment. I don't know about being the best, I just try to do my best.

**InuKagluver91** - Will do! I don't think I could handle all the angry peeps coming after me with sharp, pointy things if I did stop this story. (shudder)

**Renae**- Aw, thank you! I wouldn't do that. I did pause my other two stories, but that is only because that I hit a problem with my computer and all stuff that I had saved: plot, outline, indept details, ect. went bye-bye. SO now I am completely starting from scratch with those two. (sigh) Thank you for the thought of nominating my story. That is a very big complement to me, since most of the nominated stories are ones I have fallen in love with myself. There are quite a few good ones out there.

**Aitu**- Nope, no hints as of yet. Heck the topic hasn't even come up in the story. LOL! Souta and Shippou are two of my favorites in the story. Shippou is going to become more of an 'Evil Mini-Me' once he learns more of his magic powers. Besides, there has been many a time when I just want to type in something so off the wall, but I can't. So that is where Shippou will be stepping in for me. Can't say who 'Evil Guy' is, heck, I can't even say that you were correct in your guess.... Er, um, never mind... (wanders off smacking head)

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_Well, here you have it. Oh, BTW! I changed my profile. I realized that I didn't have an e-mail addy put on the darn thing. Isn't that silly. Well, not really, I just changed my e-mail a few weeks ago, so yeah. Thanks again for all the wonderful reviews, and don't forget to let me know what you think of this chapter._

_Brightest of Blessings,_

_Lady Banshee 999_


	28. Chapter Twenty Seven

**_Disclaimer I don't own much. Of course this means Inuyasha and his crew._****_

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**Of Fates Unknown**

**_Chapter Twenty Seven_**

Kagome awoke in the stillness of the night. The image that followed her up from sleep was that of the obelisk, its light so blinding that she could barely make out its contours.

She sat up in bed and ran her fingers distractedly through her sleep-disheveled hair. It wasn't so surprising that she should be dreaming of the obelisk. She'd spent the hours since her encounter with Inuyasha tormenting herself with unanswered questions.

In that moment when he'd challenged her to try to kill him, she had felt as though her body were being used to wage some sort of ancient war whose purpose she could not guess. Something in her wanted to lash out at him, while something else stopped her and seemed to be whispering that they were bound together.

Kagome hugged herself in fear, trying not to disturb Shippou who was asleep next to her. What was happening to her? Was she in danger of losing herself to forces she couldn't begin to understand? Or had that already happened?

She sighed deeply. She needed answers, and the only hope of finding those answers lay in the tower she'd been avoiding. She felt the influence of the obelisk wherever she went, but only there, in its actual presence, did she feel its full force.

As she thought about this, she sat there in her bed, half-expecting that she would suddenly find herself there again with no knowledge of how she'd gotten there. But the moments passed, and although she felt the lure of the tower, she remained where she was. If she were going to go up there, it seemed that she had to take herself there.

So she climbed out of bed, put on her soft leather shoes and went to get her cloak, then dug out the key to the tower that she'd hidden in a drawer. She was very nervous- but also very determined. This time, she was going to the tower of her own volition to seek some answers.

After tucking in Shippou, and a brief check on her sleeping brother, she stepped out into the cold, silent corridor where only a few of the oil lamps along the stone walls burned, casting pools of soft yellow light between dark shadows.

She hesitated only when she reached the hallway where the tower entrance was located. Inuyasha's quarters were there as well, and her thoughts veered to him. For just a moment, she wanted to go to him instead of the tower. But when that familiar aching need swept through her, she ignored it and hurried on. She could not afford to think of Inuyasha now.

She inserted the key into the lock and held her breath at the sound, which was unnaturally loud in the silence of the night. Then she pushed open the door and was immediately bathed in the soft, bluish light that had managed to find its way down the twisting staircases.

After pausing to close the door from behind her, Kagome started slowly started up the steps. Before she was even halfway up, the light had become as bright as daylight, albeit daylight tinged with blue. And it was warm, so warm that she began to feel uncomfortable in the heavy cloak. The door to the tower room stood open and the light blazing form within was so bright that she put up her hand to shield her eyes until the seemed to adjust. Then she unfastened her cloak and let it drop to the floor.

Gentle warmth bathed her skin beneath the light woolen shift, warmth that seemed somehow to penetrate her entire body, creating a feeling of great well-being. She wondered briefly if this was what her patients felt when she touched them. Several had described something like this.

But I didn't come here to be healed, she reminded herself. I came here for answers.

She stared through the brightness to its source. The outlines were visible, and as she stared at it, it seemed there were faint movements within it as well, darker lines that formed and reformed the runes that had by now become familiar to her, even if their meanings were not.

She took a few steps towards the obelisk, still staring at those strange, shifting patterns. Then she stopped.

"What are you?" she asked aloud. Then, when there was no response of any kind, she began to grow impatient.

"What do you want from me? I need some answers."

And still nothing happened. The runes formed, changed, and formed again. Was it speaking to her through them? How could it expect her to know what they meant? She felt her frustration growing. What if the answers were there and she couldn't understand them?

Then it came to her that perhaps she could understand them. She took a few steps closer and stared harder at the patterns. They seemed so familiar, like something she had once known well, but had long since forgotten.

Then she felt herself becoming drowsy. Her frustration waned, leaving only that sense of wondrous well-being. Her very body seemed to be growing insubstantial, floating away in the warmth and light.

**)O(**

Kagome opened her eyes to find herself at the courtyard of the keep. Glancing up at the tower she saw it brightly shinning and though it was midday there was a heavy fog and no one was about. Looking around she noticed a shadowy figure walking towards her. As the figure got closer, the fog rolled away from the now noticeably female figure.

The woman had dark hair and very fine features with sky blue eyes. Dressed it clothes that could have been called plain if they weren't so well crafted.

The woman smiled gently at Kagome and bid her to come towards her. Kagome walked up to the woman and the woman sat on a bench motioning her to follow suit. Smiling once again the woman then spoke.

"I believe you are in search of answers are you not?"

At this Kagome nodded, "Yes, but who are you?"

Still smiling the woman answered, "I am just a representation of that which could not speak for itself. Least not in a way that could be truly understood anymore, since such knowledge has long since been lost."

Kagome blinked at the answer and looked down at her hands. In a soft voice she sighed. "I don't understand. I am just so confused."

The woman laid a hand on one of Kagome's. "That is understandable. We know this cannot be easy for you. We have brought you here to warn you."

At this Kagome lifted her head to look at the woman, her eyes wide in fear. "Warn me. Warn me about what?"

The woman sighed. "We are a collection of power. An ancient power that has flowed in this world since time began. But we are neither good nor evil, but a culmination of all life force and the obelisk is the tool we use to send the power to those who know how to use it. Even though this was a great gift to most, there were those who though of this as a great curse as well."

"One must be able to keep a balance, or else this power could corrupt even the purest of hearts. And that is exactly what happened many years ago. The race known as Ceadda sought to use our gift in ways we didn't deem correct and therefore we denied them it."

Kagome tipped her head, considering what the woman said. "So you mean they abused it?"

Nodding the woman continued, "Correct. When they sought to destroy that which was already defeated, it was the final act. They lost respect of that which was granted and sought to gain more then was their due. They were to be the caretakers of this world and those on it, not the overlords of it. The true meaning behind what was given to them was lost, and so too then was the power."

"It was not by accident that Inutashio invaded when he did. He too had a role to play and did so. Things change, people change, but the power we represent and the balance that must be maintained because of it, is constant. But the Ceadda either forgot or let the power corrupt them. And in the end, they were lost."

"But we were not without compassion. We allowed for the escape of few Ceadda. Not all Ceadda were corrupt, a few still had true compassion in their hearts. Those few were allowed to flee."

Kagome shook her head, "But I thought you said you were power. How can you have emotions, or even have the ability to choose such things?"

"Like we said, we are a culmination of all life force. Emotions are not just feelings. When one feels an aura of a person, one can tell many things. Like when you heal, you have seen a darkness correct?"

When Kagome nodded she continued, "There is power to change the aura, and a power to change emotions. All things require a power in one way or another. Because of such we are able to do things that require power. Joy, sadness, fear, rage, hate, love, contentment, longing, want, desire, need. They are all a type of power the body has over itself and the thought process of said body. The emotions one has are a very powerful force for both that person and those around them. Kingdoms has risen and crumbled, lives have been lost and born, and men ruined or risen to power by them."

Kagome looked off to the gardens of the keep for a moment absorbing what she had said. Finally she turned back, "Ok, I understand that, but what about how you can make decisions about how the power is used. I thought power was neither good nor evil, but how it is used is the deciding factor."

Again the woman nodded. "The obelisk that was created as a focal point was created with one goal in mind. The constant balancing of power. Because of such, it is able to weave the powers in a way to keep the balance. The life powers affect every aspect in life, and therefore can be used in many ways. As long as that balance is maintained then the obelisk remains dormant, but if it does not, then it seeks out means in which to make it so."

"Does that explain why I feel like at times, my body and emotions are doing things that are so unlike me?"

The woman smiled, "Yes, you are correct. We did not mean to cause you problems in such a way, but because of the great influx of powers now flowing through you, and since you have never dealt with this before, it was necessary at times to do so. When the Ceadda were living here, they grew up around the power flowing through them and were able to learn to adapt to it. You on the other hand, suddenly had the power flowing through you. Your body is still learning to adapt to it."

"Like we said before, your emotions are a power, and some powers are felt more strongly then others. Since you and your brother are the only two left able to consciously tap into our power, we will do anything to make sure that you are protected. Until the time comes when such means are unnecessary."

Leaning back she looked stunned. "What do you mean unnecessary? And why did I have such anger against Inuyasha? And…"

At that the woman laid her hand back on Kagome's. "Relax, all your questions will be answered. If not now, then some time in the future."

"There are many ways for it to become so. All people at one time had the ability to access the power, but as time went by, people lost the ability, either from ill means, or just by simply ignoring its call. The Ceadda we thought would be the keepers of such knowledge until the people returned to it. Time went on, and youkai and man learned to depend on themselves, the completely forgot about the true power. But then the Ceadda too forgot the lessons, and became corrupt with the power. And so, they lost it."

"Inuyasha is at a turning point. At first he was as seduced with the power as were the Ceadda themselves. Then as time went on, he became just as tempted by the one who had access to it. The anger was needed."

"Needed?"

"Yes, he sought to control the power, and in doing control its user. But now he knows that the power is not one to be controlled, but to be respected. He needed to know that not all things bow to his whim. A hard lesson for one who is use to getting that which they seek, but also a much needed one."

Kagome sighed again. Her shoulders dropped and she hugged herself. "Why do I feel this need for him? I am drawn to him it way I don't understand."

The woman laughed softly and looked up toward the keep tower. "What do you think of him?"

Shocked at the question, Kagome stuttered, "W-Well, he is definitely headstrong, and a bit manipulative. He is an enigma wrapped in a hanyou skin."

The woman chuckled again, "Explain."

"Well on our way here we heard about the Lord Inuyasha. One who wanted to be crowned King of Rhea. He killed bandits swiftly and left their bodies as warnings along the road to Domna. He makes wars that kill and mains his subjects, but his lands are better cared for then any other. He educates the youth, and provides medical services for all. He is a hanyou but accepted by both youkai and human alike. And he doesn't act like a man of his status. Be it in the tavern, keep…" with a blush and a lowered voice she adds, "or the bedroom."

"And through your answer you have yet to answer our original question."

Again Kagome blinked at the woman looking puzzled. "I don't understand."

The woman smiled again. "We asked you what _you_ thought of him."

Kagome blushed again. "Well, at first I feared him. Because what he was able to do to both Souta and I. I admit, he is attractive as a male, but I am still afraid of him as such. I worry because it didn't seem like me that was attracted to him. I was worried that it was something working through me that made me drawn to me."

After a moments pause, Kagome added with a mumble, "But the ears are adorable."

At that admission the woman nodded. "You need not fear about the drawn attraction. Like we said before, all emotions are power. Since yours has yet to adjust, the natural attraction was amplified, but was still yours."

Kagome nodded with a blush still remaining. Trying to change the topic a bit she asked, "He said he felt touched by the power, and you said others use to have the ability to do so. So was it true? Is he?"

"Yes, it is. He is a hanyou. Born between worlds, and due to that tie he has the ability to feel it. He may or may not be able to access it, though. That has yet to be seen."

The woman rose from the bench and brought Kagome up with her. "Our time here is almost at an end, and we must soon part."

Kagome panicked, "Wait, what about the runes. I know they mean something, but I lack the ability to read them."

The woman touched her forehead with a finger. A soft bluish light glowed from the contact. "In time all knowledge that was lost will be found. You may not be able to understand this right now, but in due time, all will be made clear. You are needed, to teach others, so that the will come back to the power. Teach your brother and young kit well. They will aid you more then you know."

At that the woman and the area around her became engulfed in the mist and everything turned black.

**)O(

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_**Review responses:**_

**Princess Star** – Aw, thank you. I'll try.

**AngelWing1138** – LOL moosh! Your review is too funny. Plot lines are so hard to be original with so many different fanfictions for Inuyasha already created. Some are quite good ideas too.

**InuKagluver91** – I may be smart for saving everything, but it took me loosing all my info on hard drive 3 times before I realized I should do so. Now I have to wipe my hard drive every 3 months. It is sad, really. The story will not be finished for some time, as the fact that it is quite a large story. (my favorite kind)

Heck with spoons, those are just so dull… now you really want to get peoples attention use a spork. LOL! I can see the headlines now. "Death by Spork… film at 11:00" or "A woman was found sporked to death due to irate fans…" HAHAHAHA! That would definitely make people take notice. ROFLMAO!

**Anna Sakurai** – Yup, gotta love plot twists… hehehe. LOL, trouble is I don't think they had anger management classes back then. **:P** Freaked out about the blood? Try held hands over face during most of it. (sigh) I am so bad about gore I refuse to watch scary movies with my husband. But my 10 year old daughter can't get enough of them. She loves 'em, especially the classic horror films. But at least she has a firm grip that the stuff she sees is not real. Otherwise she wouldn't watch 'em. She scares me with how mature she is sometimes.

**Josie'n the P.cats** – I am just receiving some of the reviews from last chapter. (not even gotten all of them yet) And I have not received one story update from the site either. I think they are on the fritz or something. Don't know, but it is annoying. (sigh) Yeah, she is going haywire, but hey, least he has a fighting chance against her. He isn't getting sat six feet under first. LOL!

**Mrsjenthornton **– I wish I could too. But I have 3 kids, a 68-acre farm, 2 cats, 1 sheep, 4 tanks of fish, and 1 tank of 11 piranhas to take care of. Not to mention doing daily things for my grandmother and handicap grandfather who live with us. (going shopping, picking up their meds. , taking 'em to doctors appoints.) Live gets crazy, and toss in me trying to find a job. UGH! I do believe this may qualify for your, (ahem) hot meeting…

**Lilxneko** – Glad you liked it. I wish I could post more then one a day, but my schedule will not allow me to. (sigh) If I could get paid for it, that would make it so much easier…lol.

**Bluecabbage** – Aw, lol. And I thought I was bad about waiting for updates.

**Aitu** – No, but you can try. LOL! Kidding! …Not going there… once again, can't quite answer the question with giving stuff away. QUIT ASKING THOSE TYPES OF QUESTIONS! ROFLMAO! I can't even view my old reviews. Something about the option being turned off or something or other. Grrrr. Something is going on with Fanfiction, but I don't know what. It is getting a bit on the annoying side.

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_(Does the happy dance) YEAH! I have over 100 reviews! Whoopie! _

_LOL, yeah, I am strange aren't I? I am just so glad people have let me know how much they liked my story. It is always good to see the both the new reviews and the old faces to the review board. (er, thingie.. whatever) Hope you enjoy this chapter. I know I did when typing it out…. _

_**ANOUNCEMENT!** **This was on the opening page of **_

**January 13th, 2005 -- Major Maintenance Alert: Between 4AM and 12PM Friday, Jan 13, 2005 US Pacific Time, will be performing a time consuming task of relocation our servers to a new hosting facility. During this service window, all web and email services will be off-line.**

**We apologize in advance for the down time but it is something we cannot avoid. The improved facility affords us new opportunities for growth in terms of space and bandwidth.**

_LOL, I forgot to check the main page… guess I should check it out more often!_

_One last thing… **THERE WILL BE REASON FOR THE R RATING IN THE NEXT CHAPTER.** Kag/Inu lime pie… LOL. Actually, no lemon type but well, lets just say, boy does the air get thick!_

_Brightest of Blessings,_

_Lady Banshee 999_


	29. Chapter Twenty Eight

**_Disclaimer I don't own much. Of course this means Inuyasha and his crew._****_

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**Of Fates Unknown**

**_Chapter Twenty Eight_**

"Kagome!"

She recognized the voice immediately, even though it seemed to be coming from a very long distance. Or was it she who was somewhere else? She still felt that wonderful floating sensation- right up to the moment Inuyasha's arms came around her and drew her against his hard chest. And then the sensation was gone and she found herself of the warm stone floor, still bathed in the brilliant light.

She made a sound of protest over the loss of the feeling, but even as she cried out, the sense of loss drained away and was replaced by a feeling of rightness- the rightness of being in his arms.

"Are you alright?" he asked, and this time his voice was very close as his breath fanned against her ear.

She nodded. "I came here to find some answers."

"And have you found them?" he asked, still holding her close.

She lifted her head. His face was bathed in the brilliant light and it made his eyes seem more amber. She started to shake her head, then stopped and turned toward the obelisk instead. And in that moment, she became aware of the fact that he wore only a pair of light trousers and she wore only her shift and her soft curves were pressed against his firm flesh. And she heard his low, urgent growling voice again saying how much he wanted her.

She turned back towards him, wondering if perhaps he had spoken those words again. But the question became irrelevant the moment their eyes met and she saw the desire there. He raised a clawed hand slowly and smoothed away the hair that had fallen across her cheek.

"Kagome," he said, his voice was animalistic and ragged. "I…need you. I want you as my mate."

The statement broke through the passionate haze filling her mind and brought with it a lingering question. One she had to voice. "Mate?"

He nosed his way down towards her neck and nipped it before moving back up towards her ear, gently nipping that too. "I am hanyou, I only want one female. You. If you'll have me."

He drew away from her, to look into her eyes and read the hint of hesitation mixed it with the overwhelming desire. Everything was happening so quickly; the conversation with the woman, the sudden question posed by Inuyasha, and dealing with everything else. It also didn't help with him being so close to her.

Sensing her overwhelming emotions coming from her he sighed. "Listen, I know you feel it too. You want me just as much as I want you."

Pulling away from him she turned towards the obelisk. "Inuyasha, it isn't just that. I mean, when you awoke me, I was just coming out of… for lack of better explanation, a conversation with the obelisk." Her brow creased in thought as she mumbled, "Or the power flowing through it."

Taking a deep breath she continued, "And then you ask me to become your mate. If it were just the vision alone I would have need to recover. I came up here looking for answers, with the answers I received that just led to more questions. My mind is just a mess right now." Her shoulders slumped in defeat, "I… I just don't know what to say or do right now."

Inuyasha moved over to her and hugged her from behind, nuzzling his face into her hair. "I apologize, I didn't know."

She turned in his arms and tucked her head into the crook of his neck, taking comfort in the strength that he offered so easily. Strangely finding complete protection and warmth that she never noticed before.

He held one hand on the small of her back, and the other he used to stroke her hair. Her scent again calling to his youkai, drawing him to inhale the wonderful aroma of what was purely Kagome. Both soothing and alluring at once, but the youkai side still raged about not receiving an answer to the question of mating, although his human side understood the reluctance to give the question an answer.

Deciding to try to sooth his youkai side, he started again to nuzzle into her neck, suckling, nipping, and then soothing with the flick of his tongue. Even without meaning to he again started to smell the increase of his arousal and in the glow of the bluish light, a light that he could of sworn was pulsing if he gave it more thought, he held on to his humanity by the merest of threads.

She felt him at her neck and it seemed to relax her tightly wound emotions into something she didn't even thing too much on. Again the hazy of something more drew her and moved her in ways that required no thought. Her hands, that had been resting gently on his muscled chest started to draw random patterns along it, slowly, as if she was trying to feel each and every hill and valley of muscles along them.

Feeling her hands move on him, his eyes lowered to mere slits as he drew his mouth slowly up towards her ear, paying attention to every ounce of skin along the way. His nose flared; as he smelt the spike in her lust as he nipped at her ear, then swipe away any evidence with his tongue. His youkai side could not get enough of the taste or smell of her. It called to him, teasing him to the point of mixing pain with pleasure. All thoughts stopped when she turned her head to gently place a feather soft kiss at where jaw met neck. His eyes flashed red for a moment and faster then she could comprehend his movements, he swallowed her mouth with his.

Everything around them ceased to be, and all that mattered were were skin met skin, curved graces curve, and the mind-numbing sensation that only begged to continue. Pulling on her lip with a gently tug from his fang, a gasp at the tingling wave that it brought, the advantage not lost, and the feeling of the rough sensation of his searching and teasing tongue, drawing hers forth in answer to the assault.

This was like nothing she had ever felt before, or if it had, she couldn't remember. It was as if he was trying to draw not only her tongue into play, and her breath from her lungs, but also any memory that would relate to experiences prior to this. Not only was he swiping her mouth to taste her, he was also swiping her mind clear.

She tasted like nothing he had ever tasted before. There were no words to describe what he found, but all he knew is that he wanted more: more of this, more of her, more of what could promise to be. Somewhere in the back of his mind his humanity whispered to him that he needs to take it slow, she is still uncertain, but the voice was so distant, and his youkai growling so loudly, that he couldn't hear. The growl rumbling in his chest grew, and she both felt and heard the calming noise. Inducing an even greater hazy, in which she didn't even try to fight, nor flee.

Her arms slowly rose upwards, one hand threading its way into his silvery main, while the other could no longer resist cupping an ear and ever so gently, almost reverently running her finger tips over its outline. The action drawing an even deeper growl then before. His hand that previously stroked her hair was now holding her head, tipping it slightly in order for him to be able to have even deeper access.

Finally, the need for air became more pressing then the sensations they were able to create with the lack of it. Without giving her a moment to catch her breath he attacked her jaw, throat, neck, shoulder, and anywhere else he could find flesh. Her mind lost to the sensations his lips, fangs, and tongue was creating. He played her with his mouth like her fingers played her lythra. Whimpers, moans, and mews were the music in which he sought to create a masterpiece that called to both their souls.

He drew his hand from her head and with agonizing slowness he cut a shoulder strap from her shift to grant his searching mouth for more skin in which to play his symphony upon. Unable or unwilling to stop she continued to get lost to his overwhelming actions. Lost in the play of flesh upon flesh she, her body wanting something that her mind couldn't give thought to. Her hands and mouth continued to move, to urge him to continue creating the sensations that were playing havoc upon her. Each nip of his fags sent a pulse through her body, downwards towards her stomach to rest heavily in-between her legs. At a swipe of his tongue her head dropped back to offer more of herself for him to taste. Feeling a suckle above where her heart beat wildly, her hands to grab on to his shoulders for support. The drag of a claw slicing the other shoulder strap caused her legs gave out. The sensation of the cloth drop from her skin gave way to a moan from her lips.

She felt his arms wrap around her, lowering her downwards and her body gave all control willingly, knowing that he would not let her come to harm, but instead bring her such pleasure, the likes of which she had never known. He drew up over her slowly, and her eyes cracked open, and she wondered when they had closed. Looking in his eyes, she could have sworn they were made from liquid gold. His head dipped down again tasting upon her flesh now completely exposed to him. A soft whisper in her mind said they should stop, but for the life of her, she couldn't remember why. And when he drew his tongue around her nipple the gently blew on the moisture that remained, she didn't even care why.

Inuyasha groaned again when she mewed his name. The sound of it coming from her, because of his actions drove him to do it again upon its twin. His ears twitched to catch the loud gasp that escaped her lips when he drew the nipple into his mouth, suckling it like a pup. The smell of her almost causing him to forget the fact that she was innocent in the ways of mating. His youkai wanted to take her with all the force that she was creating in him, but his human side wanted to be gentle, in more ways then one. The youkai flared when he stopped his assault upon the one breast, only to howl in pleasure when he attached himself to the other.

Her hands wound around his head and drew him closer as she arched her back to try to get even closer still. She threw her head back and called his name again when he nipped at her gently. Pulling the tip softly away from her, only to release it and do the same to the other. Once he seemed satisfied with his work upon them, he slowly drew his mouth downwards towards her stomach, kissing, nipping, licking, and suckling everything in his path.

His youkai wanted to cover every inch of her flesh in his scent, to show her who he belonged to. Her hesitation to his unanswered question was still driving his youkai to show her, his dominance over her. It would have what it wanted, and it wanted her. The thought of someone else drawing these sounds, this scent, from her, was enough to drive it to blood lust.

Suddenly something caught the edges of his youkai senses. A warning drew his pause. Even to the point of near mindlessness from the want, feel, and desire of her, his youkai still knew enough of that around him to protect that which is his. Even in this his youkai heritage wouldn't lax.

Sensing the sudden shift in him, she drew her eyes up upon him. Every fiber in him made her realize something was wrong. Wrong enough to draw him out of that which had her completely lost. Trying to regain her thought, but still lost in the lingering haze she whispered his name. So softly that if he was not youkai, he would of missed it completely. She protested when his warmth left her body as he propped himself up on his knees, his ears twitching this way and that, trying to catch a sound clue as to the sudden interruption. The position of his body over her, the cool air on overheated flesh, and the animalist gaze in his eye brought her mind back into as much focus as it could get. The adrenalin fueling her body quickly subsided and her body nearly succumbed into exhaustion at that moment.

His eyes soften as he looked at her, his youkai senses just now noticing her exhausted state.

"You never told me if you would become my mate," he asked softly as he stroked her face lightly. The hypnotic feel of his rough fingers lulling her eyes to close.

"Yes."

**)O(**

Inuyasha smiled and decided not to tell her that he'd guessed the answer long ago. After listening for a time to her slow breathing, he raised himself carefully on one knee and stared at her, then turned toward the obelisk. All the while trying to push back the youkai now raging in him in anger against being able to claim its mate. Especially now that she accepted.

The light was less blinding now, and the pulsing had seemed to cease. Then the knowledge of what had happened here this night settled into him gently, and he smiled again. She stirred and her eyelids fluttered open and he bent to kiss her as he trailed a hand down along the soft, curved length of her.

"We belong to each other now," he said with a soft but firm growl. His youkai demanded no less.

Inuyasha watched as the emotions played themselves out on her lovely face: the love that made him ache to take her and complete what they had started, the fear that had him wanting to soothe her, a hint of uncertainty and perhaps even rebellion that he knew he had to accept for now.

He watched them all play out until sleep once again drew her back into its embrace. Getting up he grabbed her discarded cloak, wrapping her up in it, and going downstairs to find out what exactly caused the most untimely interruption. And if it where not life threatening, then it sure as hell would be.

**)O(

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_**Review responses:**_

**Ramzgurl** – I am sorry you had to wait longer then usual for this one. :( But I hope it was worth the wait.

**Nayonna** – Thank you. Normally I update daily, but this one chapter was causing me problems. I am glad you like the detail. That is my favorite thing in a story. But this one chapter was going to be the death of me, I swear!

**Ebonyangel** – I am glad you can finally read them. If they are posted that day, sometimes they don't show. I have to manually change the chapter number in the address sometimes to get them to show. Usually it is hit or miss though. (sigh)

**Kate** – LOL, OMGS! My story is turning into a religion! ROFLMAO! Sorry, I couldn't resist that one. My inner demons made me do it, and my inner angel is on vacation. (figures)

**Vampire Seakra** – Cool name, I must say. I am glad you like the story. I know how hard it is to come up with something. All the subject matter seemed to be covered in more ways the can be counted. Some done well, some … not. I will keep you in mind. I had a whole poem written for my one story. **"The Whispers of a Well and The Fate of Them All"** but wouldn't you know, my computer took a dump, and now I have to create the second half of the darn thing from scratch. (since the other part is already in the story.) I will e-mail you sometime this week, to get in contact with you. Sometimes two heads are better then one. :)

**Mrsjenthornton **– Well, I hope the wait was worth it!

**Celtic Glory** – Thanks. I am not sure. Sometimes just posted chapters go funny on the first day. Not sure why though.

**Poabrittany** – That is always welcome. It lets me know that people who reviewed still enjoy the latest chapters.

**chibi moon baby** – I am glad you enjoy it. I am going to try to do my best.

**Anna Sakurai** – I have read a lot of stories that seemed, almost childish in there writing style. I am more then willing to read a newly posted story, but if the writing style is just conversation with no detail, I stop. I can usually tell within the first chapter if I want to continue reading it. Don't get me wrong, I have seen a lot of authors get better as they go, but usually if the content of the story isn't there in the beginning… well you get the idea. I have seen this happen more times then I can count. But I have seen a lot of starting authors turn around and really start to get better as they go. I hope you and your friend have fun! I would love to visit Europe one day, especially the castles. (sigh)

**AngelWing1138** – ROFLMAO! You're as bad as I am when I am waiting for an update on one of my favorite stories. Right now I am in that mode for "A Cross of Blades" by Striking Falcon. Which normally I am not into Sess/Kag pairings, but the story line is a crossover with Final Fantasy and I am completely in love with it. Your replies are typed out a lot like I am on IM. I am a GOOBER when it comes to talking IRL and it caries over to IM. (sigh) That is why I am soooo looking forward to doing a parody on my story. I can let my hair down and have so much fun spoofing my story. **:D**

**Kristina Salazar** – Aw, thank you. I would normally update sooner, but alas, I had trouble with this one.

**Aitu** – Somehow I have a feeling that Inuyasha isn't the only one who is going to spill blood over this interruption. Mind you I am hiding under my desk with my keyboard as I type out this review. One thing I have found myself mastering is the answering a question with a hint of explaining but leaving more questions then was first considered. It is an art form that I pride myself on, and when the opportunity comes to use it. I love to do so with flare. It also helped that I was what would be considered a spiritual advisor to others. So, the mystic stuff really is fun to get into. Especially when you need to keep the suspense.

* * *

_OH MY GODS! I can NOT believe I just wrote that. And that wasn't even a lemon. I am SOOOO sorry that it took this long to bring to you, but I just couldn't get it right. I had something typed up that just was so NOT what I wanted that I ended up 86'ing the whole thing and redoing it. Needless to say, I am quite pleased with my first, lime. This is the most intense romantic thing I have ever written._

_The Lemon I had said I was creating before. That is more of an (ahem) animalistic thing. All these gorgeous males with animal features, just screamed at me to have fun with it. Hell, lets face it; Kagome isn't the only one with an ears fetish. :P Actually, I am so embarrassed with myself for trying to write the darn thing that I may never post it. (I think I am up to at least 4 cold showers, and a pack of smokes.)_

_Don't get me wrong. I love a good romantic coupling, but (bangs head on table) I can't help but in my sad little mind (which often resides in the gutter along with Miroku's) think what if his ears, smell, and claws, aren't the only thing dog like. I sort of went and played with how alpha male he could go. (goes and hangs head in corner…) I am soooo ashamed._

_And that one is only maybe half way done. I sort of get an inspiration, type it out, then get truly embarrassed with myself for even typing it out, then go off to do something else. In complete denial of even having it on my hard drive. (sigh)_

_Yeah, so like, that is what I am facing with even typing this one out. I sooo want to do it, but darn if I don't get embarrassed with my lemon writing skills. LOL, go figure. I am a married 29 year-old woman with three kids, and I blushed even typing this out._

_PLEASE, let me know what you think about this. I really need feedback on if I did ok or not on this. I know what I like when I read something, but to actually create one that others might enjoy is hard to do. This is about as frisky as they will get here on Fanfiction, but if the feedback is good, then I will try my hand at the whole thing on MM._

_Brightest of Blessings,_

_Lady Banshee 999_


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